Destiny Always Finds Its Way
by Timothynvb
Summary: Runaway Lucy Heartfilia has escaped the life of a young debutant. She has a newborn baby she needs to give away in order for their survival. Lucy leaves the child on the doorstep of a man with the weirdest coloured hair. Years later, destiny brings them back together.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I know I've been gone for months now but I've been busy with school and figuring out how the hell this story was going to work. Ok so I just wanted to put it out there, that the characters might be a little OOC… I just try to make them act as realistic as they can be in the situation I put them in. I also wanted to say that this story has a cliché storyline but there are little things that movie and tv show characters do that the characters in this story doesn't do. Understand? So to put it in simpler terms, it's a cliché story line but the characters' actions are not cliché…**

 **Now that I've gotten that confusing crap out of the way, the updating schedule for this story and every other story of mine won't be late and are constant (unless I'm dying or in hospital). So I will be posting the next chapter of this story every 2** **nd** **day unless I say different because of unseen circumstances. Also, if anything is in italics, it is the characters' thoughts (usually Lucy's thoughts). There's nothing else to really say but… Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer- I do not own Fairy Tail whatsoever... duh**

* * *

 _The beautiful blonde looked down at her daughter, her brown eyes filled with kindness and love._

" _Lucy dear. I want you to remember something for me."_

" _Of course Mama!" The 4-year-old jumped around, excited to spend time with her mother._

" _Remember that I would never abandon you without a good reason, do you understand?" She looked at the little girl seriously._

" _I know! You love me and I love you, isn't that right?" Lucy smiled up at her._

" _Yes... that is always right, for as long as you believe in it. I also want you to remember to stay strong. Will you do that for me?"_

" _I'M STRONG LIKE MAMA!" The little girl exclaimed, bursting into laughter._

" _Lucy, one last thing." The girl stopped squirming and looked up at her mother. "Honey, remember that there's nothing fortunate about having your fate decided for you. You have to grab your own happiness." The older woman lightly touched the young girl's face, putting a strand of hair behind her ear._

" _Ok... I don't really get it... why are you telling me this anyways? I'm probably going to forget it... and you're always going to be here for me."_

" _In your heart, yes." Layla smiled as she let her shoulders drop._

" _Let's go play hide and seek with Loke now!" Lucy dragged her mother down the long hallway towards a man with orange hair._

Lucy looked into the darkness of her room. Rubbing her eyes and seeing static, she realised what had happened.

"Not that again..." She sighed.

The dream haunted her every time she thought she had gotten over it. It was just to mock her. A memory to say that she could never have happiness, to say that she didn't deserve it. It was imprinted in her brain like a brand.

Lucy was so naive at that time but she had learnt from that mistake. Of course her mother wouldn't be there forever. Of course everything that brought her happiness disappeared. Of course.

* * *

"Just go away! Why can't you respect the fact I don't have to listen to you?!"

"Lucy! You are getting married to the son of the Eucliffe family and that is that. I will give you no say as this will expand the business!" Jude gave his daughter a stern look before walking out of her room.

"I HATE YOU!" The blonde haired girl cursed her fate. "Argh… what the heck?!" Lucy cried into her pillow and screamed as loud as she could.

* * *

Through blurry and teary eyes, she searched the blankets frantically, eventually finding her phone. She didn't even know how long she'd been crying, though it felt like hours. With shaking hands, Lucy dialled her driver's number as she needed to clear her mind away from home.

"L-L-L-Loke…?"

 _Lucy? Are you ok? What's the matter?_

"L-L- Loke… I just need you to drive me around… nowhere in particular. Just away from here…"

 _Um ok? Meet me out at the front door. Are you sure you're ok?_

"Yeah… I'll tell you everything la- kya!" Lucy held her hand up to her chest and looked at her father in alarm.

"Lucy Heartfilia! Don't even try to leave this property when you have directly disobeyed my orders and were being extremely unladylike!" Jude's voice boomed through the walls. Picking up the phone off of the ground, he placed it on his ear. "Loke Celeste, your service is no longer needed. Thank you and good evening." He hung up and threw the phone across the room, smashing the screen.

Lucy gagged at the horrible smell. "Have you been drinking again…?" She quietly asked as she slid down the wall and shrunk into the corner of the room.

"So what if I have?! My one wish is to expand the estate and to be the wealthiest politician and businessman in Fiore and the only way to achieve that is through you… In saying that, you can't even do a simple task for me!" The man began slurring his words.

"You call getting married to someone you don't even know a 'simple task'?!"

Jude slapped her in the face. Smiling at the oddly-satisfying sound of her sobs, the sadistic father began beating his daughter.

Lucy just kept her arms in front of her face and as much of her body as she could, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. Crying out in pain didn't help either, it just made him more and more eager to hurt her. Lucy began to feel faint as the already dark room became darker.

All of a sudden, the hitting and kicking stopped and it gave Lucy a time to breathe. Spluttering and coughing, she shakily leaned on the walls for support.

"You better look your best for tomorrow young lady… You are going to meet your future husband and **don't** make me look like a fool." Jude limped out of the room and slammed the door shut, leaving his daughter curled up on the floor crying and bloody.

* * *

Waking up early in the morning, Lucy couldn't move a muscle. Crawling to the bathroom, she shakily used the sink to haul herself up.

 _I look like I had just been beaten up. Oh wait. I was._

Lucy sniggered at her sick sense of humour.

After a long hot shower and flashbacks of last night, Lucy got dressed in her most formal attire (with the help of the servants) and sat in front of her dressing table. She applied an even coat makeup, making sure to cover all her bruises and cuts.

Leaving the room, she felt like a fake. There was nothing left of her that she knew. Lucy Heartfilia no longer felt as though she was whole. At the end of the day, her life would be given away, sold. She felt like an abandoned toy in a pawn shop. Her mother was the girl that left her there.

Lucy cursed her fate again. Her sweet, kind mother had died when she was only around 7 years old and left a broken husband that hasn't mended his wounds. Lucy lets her father hit her, even though the drinking annoys her to say the least. She couldn't defend herself even if she even tried. There's nothing she could do except sit in the corner of her room and wait for destiny.

Approaching her father's door, Lucy wiped all thoughts from her mind and knocked lightly.

"Father? Are you ready to leave?" Her voice sounded weak and scratchy.

Jude opened the big wooden door and pushed passed her, adjusting his suit.

"Of course I am. Hurry up and get to the car. I don't want to be late." He demanded in a gruff voice.

"Yes father…" Lucy shuffled to the stairs.

"Stop slouching and dragging your feet Miss Lucy. Your father will become mad at this behaviour." Aries, one of her favourite maids, worriedly warned.

"Oh... um... yeah. Sorry. I'm just sore."

"Did he… did he hurt you again…?" The light-pink haired female furrowed her brows.

"Obviously…"

"Lucy! Did I not make myself clear?! I **do not** want to be late!" Jude stormed out of the front door and made his way to the car.

"Sorry Miss Lucy. Please be careful." Aries bowed and shuffled away.

Lucy grabbed hold of the railing and made her way down the stairs as fast as she could, biting her lip at the pain.

As she entered the car, Loke gave her a warm but worried smile which she simply shrugged off.

"Now that we're ready to leave, Loke, please take us to the Eucliffe estate." Jude commanded.

"Of course sir."

The journey there was short but extremely tense. It was always like that. No talking, no moving, nothing. Arriving at the driveway of the big mansion, Loke parked the expensive car and got out, opening the door for them.

"Thanks Loke." Lucy winced at the pain in her leg as she stepped out.

"No problem at all. Are you ok?"

"Well in all honesty, no. But I can't say that so yes, I am ok." She slid passed him, walking with a slight glide in her step as much she could.

Waiting at the small flight of stairs was a blonde haired male with blue eyes and a scar across his right eyebrow. His posture was quite slanted with a cool atmosphere about him. Standing behind the handsome boy was his beautiful mother, Hikaru (meaning light and radiance).

Sting politely bowed at Jude and smiled at Lucy.

"Good morning sir. It is an honour to be in your presence."

"The honour is all mine. What a polite boy you have Hikaru! Now I would like you to meet my daughter, Lucky Lucy Heartfilia."

Lucy gagged in disgust at how nice her father was being just to impress the Eucliffe's. But her opinion didn't matter anyways. She bowed.

"I have heard many things about you Sting Eucliffe and those rumours don't live up to the truth. It is a pleasure meeting you."

Oh how she hated what she had become.

"Jude! What a charming little thing she is! Come in! Come in! There is tea in the living room to discuss our matters and Sting can take Lucy up to his room. Won't you dear?" Hikaru looked at her son expectantly, her brown hair framing her face.

"Yes mother. Lady Lucy, after you." He gestured for her to walk through the door first.

Nodding in thanks, Lucy stepped in and the smell of jasmine tea filled her nostrils. She envied how great their life seemed and how cosy the place was, in comparison to her dark and empty mansion.

Sting walked up the stairs and led her to his room, shoving his hands into his pockets. As they entered and closed the door, the noises of tea cups hitting saucers were heard. Sting sat on his bed while Lucy plonked herself down onto his small couch.

"So…"

"Well there's nothing much to talk about is there." Lucy sighed.

"Not really… Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself? And if you want, maybe tell me why you're all bruised and cut."

"I… I just fell down my stairs by accident… How did you even notice through all the makeup?"

"I have pretty good attention to detail if I say so myself… how about some info about you?"

"Well as you can tell, I was born into the wealthy Heartfilia family and was named Lucky Lucy Heartfilia. My parents named me after a broken sign. It was supposed to be 'lucky' but it had lost its 'k'. Stupid I know. When I was 7, my mother passed away from cancer and left my father and I in an empty house with nothing to live for. I've never been outside of the gates of my house before except when I'm in the car or contained in someone else's gates. I've never had a real friend before and the world probably knows nothing about me or if I even exist. I've actually ran away once, but my father found me… I was such amateur back then. So now that I'm done, how about you pretty boy?"

Sting just sat there all shocked. "Um… well… my life isn't all that special. I was born, my father left me and my mother for another woman, my life has been pretty good since then – not to rub it in – I have a lot of awesome friends, I got good grades in school, and I was always the sportsman of the year and was on the academic high achievers list and yeah."

"Well aren't you a 'goodie-two-shoes'… now that that stupid shit is over and done with, we should go back down to our parents and discuss business." Lucy stood up from her chair and brushed the non-existing dust off of her attire.

"What business? I thought you were just here for like a 'meet and greet' thing." Sting stood up as well.

"Don't you know? Um… sorry to break it to you but we're getting married." Lucy gave a nonchalant shrug.

The blonde haired male chocked on his own saliva. "W-w-what?!" He managed to spit out.

"That went well."

"What do you mean we're getting married?! I only just met you! What?! How?! Why…" He wailed.

"Calm down! You're not the only one getting married here! I'm suffering too! I thought your mother would at least tell you… seeing as you're such a mummy's boy…" Lucy rolled her eyes and closed the door, walking over to comfort the 'poor' boy. "There, there." She said firmly.

"That's not helping… But why would they do this to us?!"

"No… this is definitely something my father would do." The words felt like poison in her mouth.

"I'm sorry… I'm being insensitive. Do you know the details about this?"

"Not really. My father just told me that I'm getting married to the Eucliffe family's son for our parents' businesses to expand and he said that we have to have a baby boy to take over the business when he comes of age. That's all I know so far." Lucy shrugged, totally over the fact that she was getting used like an object.

Sting sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "No offence but I really don't want to marry you. You're a great person and beautiful might I add… but I can't just marry you. I know in time that I may learn to care for you, but nothing more than that."

"You took the words right out of my mouth. We better get down before they discuss anymore bullshit without us." Lucy stood up and was about to leave when Sting grabbed hold of her wrist.

"Aren't you going fight back? Rebel? Tell them what you think?"

"Did you really think I got these cuts and bruises from the stairs? Let's be real here. I don't look like a person to just sit there while I get married off. But I guess it was my mistake." The female opened and walked out of the door, not wanting to wait any longer. Hearing Sting scamper behind her, she smiled slightly. **Slightly.**

They both walked down together, much to Hikaru and Jude's delight.

"Oh so I see you two have warmed up to each other." The business man grinned from ear to ear.

"Yes sir. You could say that." Sting turned sternly to his mother. "We need to have a small talk." Seeing the woman begin to protest, he quickly added, " **now**."

She reluctantly nodded, knowing what it was going to be about. "Please excuse me Jude. Sting and I just need a moment." She politely relieved herself and her son and walked off.

"So Lucy." Jude started.

"Don't you say **anything** father. Especially since you can't **do** anything to me here." She gave him a long hard glare.

"Now, now darling. I was just going to ask you what you thought about the boy."

"Sting?"

"Hm yes. You seem very fond of him, especially when you two were walking down together." He smirked.

"That was just for show." Lucy confessed through gritted teeth.

"Don't you give me attitude young lady. You two will be married. No arguments about it."

The girl scoffed. "That's what **you** think." She decided to end the conversation there as she noticed Sting and his mother walk in. He had a red cheek.

 _Hikaru slapped him… She seemed so nice. I guess we're in the same boat._

Sting sat next to Lucy and shuffled around uncomfortably. The adults began conversing once more.

Lucy leaned over and whispered into his ear, "Are you ok? Did you mother hit you?"

The boy shrugged. "She never usually hits me… she was just frustrated that I didn't want to get married to you. I'm fine though. The slap was nothing on the level that your father does to you." He pulled away and gave her a reassuring smile.

"So seeing as both of you agree to this marriage, we'll have you wed by the end of next month." Jude announced.

Both the teens jumped out of their skins.

"But father! We're only 17! When you said I was going to get married, I didn't think you meant right away!"

"Of course he did dear. What other time were you thinking of?" Hikaru asked.

"How about never…" Sting mumbled under his breath.

"Dear! Don't say such things!"

"Sorry mother…"

"So the engagement ball will be this weekend and from that day on you will live here with the Eucliffes until the wedding and then you will find another estate to live in." Jude explained.

"This weekend…" Lucy pondered.

"That's in 3 days!" The two exclaimed.

"And is there a problem with that?" The woman inquired sternly.

"No mother…"

"Lucy? What about you? We need your confirmation on this." Hikaru insisted.

"I'm going to be honest. There is no offence intended in my opinion but I do not feel it is right to get married." Lucy said as formerly as she could.

"Lucy…" Jude's voice became low and raspy. "What have I told you about disobeying my instructions?"

"Those who break the rules get punished…" She murmured.

"Good. I thought I taught you better than this. I don't want to hear a single word of protest from you, understand?"

"Yes father…" Sting looked at Lucy comfortingly and smiled warmly at her.

"There's nothing better than a disciplined child with a stern teaching. Don't you think Hikaru?"

"You took the words right out of my mouth. That's how you must raise them. Otherwise, they'll just rebel against you."

"My thoughts exactly." Jude looked at the solemn duo. "Now lighten up you two! You're going to be engaged in a few days and you need to go get ready immediately. Hikaru will organise the ball and the maids will help with the attire."

The two blondes bit their lip, feeling the tears threatening to fall. Their life had changed. Their dreams had disappeared. Their destiny was rewritten.

"Servants! Please come and help these two prepare!" Hikaru clapped her hands twice and several maids and butlers appeared around them.

"Master Sting, please come with us for your suit fitting." A butler bowed.

"Um… sure. I have a question though. Where will Lucy be sleeping in the duration of her stay with us?"

"In your bedroom of course."

"Of course." He said sarcastically as he turned to Lucy. "I should get going but the maids will take good care of you. I'll see you later." Sting then quickly whispered into her ear, "Don't worry about your father… even though getting married is crap, at least you won't have to deal with his shit ever again… even if we don't love each other." He parted ways and smiled.

Lucy smiled at how kind he was to a stranger like her. Her thoughts were shooed away when a maid began talking to her.

"Lady Lucy. Please come with us to have your dress fitted."

The girl nodded and reluctantly stood up, making sure she didn't forget to glare at her father before leaving. Then, a thought struck her.

 _Father thinks he's so smart… oh how he's wrong. Your little girl has got a plan…_

* * *

 **Stay tuned for the next chapter guys!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Thank you for all the support so far! I got so many follows and favourites for the first chapter! Thank you! So here's the next chappie for you guys! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer - I do not own Fairy Tail!**

* * *

3 days passed slowly and painfully. The dreadful day finally approached and Sting and Lucy didn't know what to do. For the duration of her stay, Sting let her sleep on his bed whilst he slept on the couch and they alternated every now and then.

"Wakey, wakey!" Hikaru sang as she walked up the stairs.

Sting and Lucy shot up from their sleeping positions and freaked out. It was like this for the previous mornings as well. If Hikaru caught them sleeping separately, she would force it upon them. Sting ran onto the bed and Lucy ran into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

Hikaru knocked on the door 3 times before entering.

"Sting? Lucy? Breakfast is ready!" She looked around and squinted her eyes. "Darling… where is Lucy dear?"

"Can't you hear the shower running? She's obviously in there." Sting rolled his eyes.

"Don't give me attitude… Did you both sleep together last night?"

"Yes mother… but don't be expecting any children…"

Hikaru laughed. "I haven't been… yet."

"What do you mea-"

"Foods ready so be downstairs quickly. The ball starts at 6pm and you will need to begin getting ready at noon." His mother walked out of the room and closed the door.

Sting sighed. He waited for around 30 seconds, making sure his mother was already downstairs, and called for Lucy to come back in.

She peeped her head around the door, her eyes darting from left to right before walking out cautiously.

"That was so close… We should get downstairs before you mother blows a casket…" Lucy had already changed her clothes so she left, leaving Sting to his own thoughts.

* * *

Lucy and Sting anxiously awaited behind big wooden doors for their names to be called out. They knew there was at least 500 people out in the ball room. And not just ordinary citizens, the media for the rich and the wealthy families were also there along with the invited guests.

"And now what you've all been waiting for… this couple has been the hottest topic among the wealthy and they are only 17 years of age! Please give a warm welcome to the newly engaged, Lucky Lucy Heartfilia and Sting Eucliffe!"

The wooden doors opened and it revealed a long flight of stairs and hundreds of people staring at them. They both looked at each other, took deep breaths and began walking down. The guests applauded the couple.

"This isn't even the wedding and there's already so many people here…" Lucy whispered to the boy.

"I know…"

As they walked passed people hand in hand, the murmurs made them feel uncomfortable.

" _I'd never even heard of Lucy Heartfilia until recently…"_

" _Who is she?"_

" _If no one's heard of her, she can't be_ _ **that**_ _rich…"_

" _She's not even that pretty…"_

Sting noticed her palms begin to sweat.

"What's the matter?" He asked her.

"The comments don't really bother me that much… but I've never seen or been in a room with this many people before… I've never made a friend before, remember?" Lucy's voice trembled.

"Don't worry about it… it's not all that bad. I think the worst thing tonight would be your father's speech."

"And now welcoming, Jude Heartfilia!"

"Speak of the devil…" Sting mumbled.

"Lucy! Sting! I can see where you two are hiding! Come up here with me!" Jude motioned for them to come up to the stairs.

While everyone was looking at the duo, Jude's mood changed to anger and Sting and Lucy scurried to where he was standing.

"Well there's not much to say other than these two are deeply in love with one another. They care for each other and are, quite frankly, the perfect couple. I wouldn't want my daughter to be with anyone else." The crowd applauded. "And to make things better, Lucy is pregnant!"

Everyone gasped and cheered, congratulating the two. In the midst of the commotion, Sting, Lucy and Jude had a three way conversation.

"You didn't tell me you were pregnant! Wait… if you're pregnant, who's the father?! I'm pretty sure we didn't have sex!" Sting exclaimed.

" **I** didn't even know I was pregnant! I'm still a virgin thank you very much!" Lucy defended.

"Honey it's just for show…" Jude smiled as he mocked her exact words.

"But what happens when they notice my stomach isn't getting any bigger?! I can't just lie!"

"Well… you're definitely not going to go to the media about this so there's only really one solution… **Get** pregnant by next month… and it better be a boy." Jude's mood changed from cheerful to demanding.

"I can't control that!"

Lucy juggled with her thoughts before Sting intruded.

"Lucy…What do we do?"

"You're asking me?"

"Well it's clear **I** don't have the answer… We have to do what your father says. We have no choice." They both sighed.

The engagement ball came to a close around midnight and the guests had left. Both Lucy and Sting were exhausted and totally over it.

"Now go on! Get to bed already! We will start to plan your wedding bright and early tomorrow. This is fantastic! The wedding is just next month and you are also pregnant! Everything is going swimmingly." Hikaru beamed.

"Oh yeah… I'm pregnant…" Lucy groaned as she made her way out of the ballroom.

~ 3 weeks later ~

"Honey! Are you pregnant yet?" Hikaru asked Lucy. "The wedding is next week."

"I don't know… I haven't tested…"

"Well please get on with it. You don't want to disappoint your father, do you?" The mother walked out and left Lucy in her room.

The blonde haired girl stood up and ran to her walk in closet, dragging along a large backpack. She began furiously packing it to the brim with clothes, the little money she had on her and the necessities.

"I'd rather be happy than be stuck in this nightmare…" When she finished packing, she shoved the bag under the bed, thinking that leaving at night would be better.

"Lucy! Come down!" Sting called.

"Give me a second!" Lucy took deep breaths and asked herself if she was really going to go through with it.

She ran down the stairs and decided that she needed to get this day over and done with.

When night time hit, Sting got into his bed on the couch and Lucy onto her actual bed. They said their goodnights and went to sleep.

Lucy jerked herself awake and wiped the sweat from her brow. Looking at the clock on the bedside table, she breathed out in relief.

 _It's 12:34… perfect… I'm lucky though, I almost slept till the morning…_

Lucy quietly removed the blankets from herself and got changed. Reaching under the bed for her bag, she grabbed a map of Fiore and opened the window.

 _Oh crap… I almost forgot._

Lucy walked back to her table and grabbed a pen and paper. She quickly scribbled on it: 'There's nothing fortunate about having your fate decided for you. You have to grab your own happiness.' She signed her name and left it on the bed.

Her mother used to say those same words to her. Lucy crawled through the window and closed it behind her, being very careful. Looking around, she noticed the security cameras. They were the kind that rotated in a 180 degree semi-circle.

 _Ok… this should be easy enough. So all I need to do is jump down from the roof in the duration of the time when the security camera is facing away from me._

Lucy peered over the side of the roof.

 _And maybe I should hide behind the pillar while the cameras reset._

She inspected the area for any other obstacles. Lucy knew the security guards would have the dogs and would be patrolling the back at this time so she didn't need to avoid them. The only other thing is the gate.

 _I have the key to open it but I need to be stealthy and fast… I also have to make no noise when opening it… Great. At least if I stuff up, I can hide behind the pillars._

Watching the camera intensely, she jumped down from her perched position on the roof and squished herself against the pillar. She peered around the corner and the camera seemed to be staring straight at her, however, no alarms rang so it was the signal for all clear.

The camera spun around the other way and Lucy ran across the yard and to the fountain, skidding slightly as her timing was a little off. Sitting behind the fountain, Lucy waited until she caught her breath. The stealthy female looked around the water feature and ran across the driveway and hid behind the pillar. She was so close, the gate mere metres away.

Noticing the camera was no longer facing her, she sprinted to the gate and yanked the keys from her pocket. Lucy frantically shoved the key into the hole and turned every which way, none of it working. Glancing behind her, she knew that she had to go back. Having one last jerk at the gate, Lucy left the keys there and sprinted to her hiding spot.

 _I'm such an idiot! Of course the keys won't work if I jab at the lock like a maniac! I need to calm down and stop shaking._

Looking at the camera, she waited for it to reset to the position she wanted it to be in. At the perfect time, Lucy dashed at the gate and turned the key lightly to the right and smiled at the satisfying sound of 'click'.

 _Oh shit… I don't have enough time to open the gate carefully enough… time to go back._

Grabbing the key from the lock (since it was already unlocked), she pushed the gate slightly open, wincing at the screechy sound and ran back to behind the pillar.

 _This is it! This is finally it... The last time I pulled a stunt like this, my father tracked me down and found me almost straight away… but I'm a lot smarter and faster now…_

Lucy smiled and looked at the time.

 _12:41? I've spent way to long here… Time to get going._

She glanced at the security camera for the last time as she raced to the gate and pushed it open just enough for her to fit though and closed it, making a little bit of noise, much to her surprise.

Running into the darkness of the early morning, she laughed at herself.

 _This is really happening! I'm really doing this! I can't believe how much of thrill this is!_

Coming to a stop, Lucy panted as she bent over. She looked around and saw a street sign and walked slowly towards it. Taking out the map in her backpack, she found the street name and groaned. It was at least 200 miles until she would see a town.

"If I take the train, it would be too risky… I would most likely see my father's agents and I won't be able to escape. It's better to walk so that it would be easier to run, but that would take forever." Lucy pondered about her options for a while before coming to a conclusion. "I'll just walk… It'll probably take me a week since I need my sleep. I might buy some hair dye to disguise myself… that sounds like a good idea."

Putting back her map and holding her torch out in front of her, she was off.

"So the closest town is north." She glanced down at her compass and grinned. "The town of Crocus it is…"

* * *

 **The next chapter is coming out in two days, like always, so stay tuned!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! So next week I'm going to America! (It's for this school competition)Since I'm from Australia, I don't really know what to expect but don't get me wrong, I'm super excited! Based on the traffic graph, a lot of you guys are from the United States and since I'm an Aussie, pleaseeee give me some tips on how to survive in America! I've never been before... I'm going to be in Florida so if any of you guys live there, send me a hey! But seeing that I'm going to be away for a whole week, I wont be able to update the story... I wanted to tell you guys a week in advanced so that you know. I really wanted to update the chapters but there's basically no way I can. So please don't hate me! I have all the chapters set and ready, but I just can't post them without internet... PLEASE FORGIVE ME!**

 **Anyways, here is the next chapter! Sorry but for the next few chapters, Yukino is going to be VERY, VERY ooc… Just warning you know so don't kill me in the comments. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer - I obviously don't own Fairy Tail, credits to Hiro Mashima**

* * *

Lucy trudged along the side of the road, following it. Drinking from the water bottle in her hand, she glanced down at the map.

 _I'm nearly there… Just 5 more miles…_

She had been walking for just over a week, stopping at service stations and random convenience stores to stock up on food and water. Feeling her breakfast coming up, Lucy ran to the nearest bush and emptied out her stomach.

 _Please don't tell me I'm pregnant… this is the 4_ _th_ _day in a row now!_

Lucy wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, took a sip of water and continued walking. She took off her pink glasses and put it back in her bag, wiping her sweat. Looking up ahead of her, she noticed there was a service station and then other buildings came into view.

 _Wait a minute…_

Lucy squinted at the sign in front of her.

"Welcome to… Crocus." Her eyes widened. "I made it! I made it!"

Quickening her pace, Lucy flipped her hoodie to cover her hair and most of her face. She walked into the nearest convenience store, hid from the cameras, and picked up a box of hair dye and payed for it.

 _Oh crap… I'm running low on money._

Running to the public bathroom, Lucy dyed her hair a light chestnut brown colour and left.

Walking through the streets of Crocus, Lucy marvelled at how many people and buildings there were. Everything was just so fascinating to her as she only saw such things in movies.

Suddenly, Lucy's head began to throb and her eyesight darkened.

"What the heck…?"

Losing control over her body, Lucy collapsed.

* * *

"… I'm not sure. No I haven't, privacy much?"

Lucy blinked several times before regaining her eyesight. Beside her bed stood a beautiful girl with short pale blue hair and brown eyes and a lady with black hair and a clipboard.

"Oh! You're awake!" The light blue-haired girl smiled sweetly.

Lucy looked around the room and her breathing shortened, becoming faster and faster.

"What's the matter? Are you ok?"

Curling herself into a ball, Lucy started trembling, her eyes darting from left to right.

"Hey! Hey… calm down… It's going to be ok. We're not going to hurt you…" The lady looked at the nurse. "Do you think she has amnesia? She seems very confused and afraid of everything."

"I'm not sure… I'll go get the doctor!" The black-haired woman left the room in a hurry.

"D-d-doctor…? Am I at the doctors?" Lucy asked as her voice trembled.

"Well not exactly… You're at a hospital. I found you unconscious on the side of the road."

"I… fainted… that's right." Her eyes widened in fear. "Where's my bag?!"

"Don't freak out! It's ok… it's just on the chair here. I promise you, no body looked inside it. We all respect people's privacy. First, tell me your name."

"Um… **you** tell me your name."

 _I can't tell her who I really am… think Lucy! What's another name…? Thank God I changed my hair colour… At least she won't recognise me... Pfft like anyone knows the Heartfilia's have a daughter... what am I thinking?_

"If you feel uncomfortable about telling me your name, it's ok. I'm Yukino Aguria and I'm some kind of soldier for the Kingdom of Fiore." She went to the nearby chair and grabbed the backpack, leaving it on the bed.

"Thank you for being so kind… I must seem so rude but I'm just exhausted and scared."

"It's ok… Now are you going to tell me your name or am I going to have to give you a nickname?"

The blonde laughed. "My name's Lexi…"

"Lexi…?"

"Lexi Heartmon."

"Well it's nice to meet you."

The doctor opened the door and entered the room. "Yukino… Please wait outside while I tell this young lady the reason behind why she is feeling what she is."

"Doc… don't give me that bullshit. I'm staying here with Lexi… she's terrified." Yukino reasoned.

"Fine… you may be here for moral support…"

"Wait… did you run tests on me while I was unconscious?" Lucy asked.

"No! Of course not… I think I only need to ask you one question since I'm pretty sure I know what's going on."

"Ok… let's start." Yukino looked at the doctor expectantly.

"So have there been anything that hasn't happened before the past week or so?"

"Um… yeah… definitely. I've been feeling really dizzy and vomiting heaps lately but I thought that was just because I've been doing excessive exercise…" Lucy thought for a moment. "There's actually a lot that has changed with my body."

"What else is there?"

"I've been really sleepy and I've needed to pee heaps… That's all I can think of at the moment…"

"Ok… nobody needs to be a doctor to know what's wrong with you Lexi…" Yukino chuckled.

 _Ok 1… I've got to get used to that name! And 2… please don't tell me they're going to say what I'm thinking of…_

"We're not sure… but I think you're pregnant."

Lucy let out a sigh as felt a wave of sadness and happiness wash over her.

"What's the matter? Aren't you happy?" Yukino wondered.

"Um… yeah… I guess. Just got some mixed emotions."

"We need to be sure though so how would you like us to test it? We can have an ultrasound and you can see it for yourself or would you want to do a pee test?"

"Um… could I do a pee test please?"

"Of course. Nurse!"

The lady with the black-hair went through the cupboard and pulled out a cardboard box.

"Here. You can do it whenever you feel ready."

"Thank you…" Lucy looked at the box and read it, confused at different parts. "Does this tell you how long you've been pregnant for?"

"Yeah it does. It says it right there." The nurse leaned over and pointed to the side.

"I might actually do this now…" Lucy stepped out of her bed and walked into the bathroom.

"Ok. Now that that's sorted, you can stay here with her, Yukino and tell her to sign out this form." The doctor and nurse left the room and Yukino grabbed the clipboard and read through the questions.

A few minutes later, Lucy walked back in and sat on the bed.

"So…? What's the results…?"

"I'm pregnant… 4 or 5 weeks now…"

"Holy crap! That's a long time… Well… I don't even know what to say! Congratulations!" Yukino hugged the blonde.

"Thanks… Since… um… sorry. I'm really socially awkward… if you haven't already noticed." Lucy laughed at herself. "I'm not really from here so maybe you could show me around Crocus?"

"Of course! I believe you just made a friend! Do you have somewhere to stay? You could always stay with me!"

"Really?! That would be awesome! Thank you so much! You are so nice… As soon as I get a job and I'm able to pay for myself, I'll rent out a place so that I'm not too much hassle for you."

"Stop being so formal! It's fine." Yukino playfully punched her in the arm. "But you know… I **do** work for the King and I have a pretty high rank so I do know when people lie to me…"

"Wha- what do you mean?"

"Don't worry! I'm not a council member or a police officer… I won't arrest you unless you've committed a crime. Just tell me everything… I can help you."

"I… I can't tell you…"

"Please… I know I can help you! I might not be able to relate to your situation, but I'll be able to help in one or another." Yukino insisted.

"Ok! Ok… fine… You've convinced me to tell you." Lucy sighed. "As you could tell, my name isn't Lexi Heartmon, you're pretty good at your job for noticing that I was a liar. I'm Lucy Heartfilia, formerly the daughter of the wealthy politician and businessman Jude Heartfilia."

"Oh. My. God. Wait! What do you mean formerly?"

"Well my father was abusive towards me and he arranged a marriage for me. He basically forced me and this guy to sleep with each other and have a baby. And he even said to me it had to be a boy!" Lucy became frustrated, remembering what her life used to be (only a few weeks ago).

"Lex- Lucy! Come here…" Yukino brought her into a hug. "I might not have been in the same situation as you were in, but me and my sister were separated from our family when we were very young and then they took us away from each other. I was orphaned and eventually found my way. I can understand to some extent. So you ran away?"

"Yeah… I did…"

"It's ok… I'm here for you… And you know what?" Yukino smiled.

"What…?"

"I knew your mother. I knew Layla. I thought you looked so familiar, but I wasn't sure because of your hair!"

"I dyed it… It's actually blonde." Lucy started smiling. "How did you know my mother?"

"She was my guardian angel… I came to Crocus when I was 4 and your mother took care of me. We were too young so I don't think she told you. When she passed away, I was 8 and it was… horrible."

"I was horrible for me too… I… I can't believe this! It's such a small world!"

"Layla was such a smart woman and she was so kind and generous too… I never understood how a person with such a good heart could disappear from this world." Yukino wiped her tears and laughed at herself. "I almost forgot! Now that we've stopped crying, doc needs you to fill out this form." She passed Lucy the clipboard.

"Alright… Thanks. But you know, I always wondered why the best peopled died..."

"Well when you're in a garden or a meadow, which flowers do you pick?"

"The most beautiful ones..."

* * *

 **Keep reading guys! The next chapter is coming soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! So update on my life... I spent the whole day yesterday at the hospital and 3 hours this morning... I have an eye infection that's basically a coldsore on the cornea. They gave me this ointment for it but it still hurts like a bitch! I have to put the gel in my eye 5 times a day... and the at the hospital, I saw 5 different docs! They were all really nice and I thank them for the effort and time they gave me, but they still prodded me in the eyeball for several hours... I don't like things in my eye (that's why I don't like contact lenses). Anyways, I'm doing ok for now. I have to go back to the hospital next week just before I go to America. But! I still need some survival tips guys! I'VE NEVER BEEN BEFORE! I'M SCARED AND DESPERATE! Welp... that's my pride gone out the window.**

 **BUUUUUUUUUUUT! It's time for some shout-outs! Thank you for everyone that has followed and favourited this story! I really appreciate it and I can't express it in words! THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

 **So, without further adodo (get that reference from Nigahiga? Eh?) let's get started! If I forget or mis-spell any of you guys' name, I am so, so sorry!**

 **KrispiKreme**

 **Deni . Marie31 (sorry I had to put a space on either side of the dot because the site thinks that your username is a link and it automatically erases it... sorry!)**

 **SilentMockingjay**

 **ManOfManyTales**

 **Julius Night**

 **ashfrenzy**

 **winter snow14**

 **lena babyyyyy**

 **freki02**

 **Lucydaisukinatsu**

 **hemmecstasy**

 **bow-and-arrow-lover**

 **Mystic Story Wolf**

 **JcL107**

 **Dragondancer81**

 **DV-chan**

 **Delia365**

 **LazyConfectioner**

 **Reaganbrie**

 **wArm sUmmEr**

 **Moonlightgreen50**

 **Again, if I have forgotten any of you by accident, please send me a hey and tell me! I am only human and sorting through my emails are a little hectic.**

 **Last but not least, I would like to especially thank my best friend for reading this story beforehand! MIMI I LOVE YOU, YOU LITTLE PORCUPINE!**

 **Anyways, thanks for all the support! You guys are awesome! Now... Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer - After all this, do I really need to say that I don't own Fairy Tail?**

* * *

Lucy stretched her hands up high.

"Lexi!" Yukino exclaimed as she burst through the doors. "You have been relieved from hospital!"

Yukino and Lucy decided that it would be better to call her Lexi in public but Lucy when alone.

"Aw man… I've only been here for 3 days! I don't even have to pay rent!" Lucy marvelled at that fact.

"But now you get to live with me!"

"But now I'll have to pay rent…" She wailed.

"Come on! It's not that bad… Oh and I almost forgot to tell you! I put in a word for you with the hospital and they said they could give you a job as a receptionist." Yukino shrugged.

"Really?! Thanks so much! I can't believe it! I mean, I have a doctorate in medicine so you could've gotten me a job as a doctor or nurse… Not that I'm complaining!"

"You better not be complaining young lady… It's never this easy to get a job. You're just lucky **I** have a lot of connections." Yukino gave her a strong look which soon turned into a smile. "I guess you can start calling me oneechan!"

"In your dreams! Oh and question… when do I start work?"

The nurse with black hair jumped into the conversation, since all she was doing was standing in the corner writing on her clipboard.

"Well since you're already here, why not now?"

"Really?! That would be awesome! Thank you!" Lucy hopped out of bed.

"So I don't think you know this, but I'm Takeshi. Nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand for Lucy to shake.

(A/N hehe… If any of you have read my fanfic: Lucy's Split Decision, you know exactly who Takeshi is…)

"I think you already know my name." Lucy giggled.

"Welcome to the team! Here's you uniform and once your belly gets bigger, we'll get a new one for you. No need to pay for it… yet." Takeshi laughed.

"This is awesome! Thank you so much… I never knew people could be so… nice!"

"Heh… **some** people."

They all laughed.

* * *

Lucy worked at the hospital as a receptionist for 7 months, living with Yukino and re-dying her hair brown multiple times, before she went into labour earlier than expected. Yukino was with her the whole way and held her hand, some even asked them if they were a lesbian couple.

Finally, after 7 hours of utter agony, Lucy was greeted by the beautiful sound of her baby crying.

The doctor handed Takeshi the baby, after cutting the umbilical cord.

"Congratulations Lexi… It's a healthy boy…" She bit her lip to stop herself from crying in joy.

Lucy burst into tears. She wasn't even sure herself if it was from sadness or happiness or both. Takeshi handed Lucy the bundle of blankets which she gratefully took. She cradled her son in her arms.

"Hey there… hey… I'm your mother…" Lucy touched his nose lightly which caused him to twitch.

"Oh my god… he's so cute! Kawaii..." Yukino made funny faces at it.

"I'm sorry but I need to get him washed and then place him in the nursery with the other newborns." Takeshi took the baby from Lucy's arms. "Oh before I go, what's this munchkin's name?"

"Well… I've been thinking about this for forever, but I want his name to have a meaning towards me. I think his name will be Haruto." She smiled.

"Why?"

"Haruto means sunlight and to clear up and to fly. This all means so much to me. He already looks so bright and hopeful, and he clears up all my worries with one thought… and… I want him to fly away and be free." Lucy wiped her tears quickly. "Sorry… I'm being dramatic."

(A/N If you guys have watched One Litre of Tears... Oh my word... so fricken sad! I cried for ages and... AYA! WHY YOU NO LOVE HARUTO?! Ok I'm good now.)

"It's fine… No need to worry. I'll take Haruto now." Takeshi left the room

"That was tough as all hell…" Lucy let her body relax as she let out a deep breath.

"Dude… now that we're alone, you mind telling me about that mini-breakdown you just had? I know you're happy but I felt like you were crying because you were sad… care to explain?"

"Well… I'm not sad… kind of. I'm just scared. If my father finds Haruto, he'll take him away from me. My father specifically wanted me to give birth to a son, and now that his wish has come true, I can't let him find out. I don't want Haruto to have the life I did, always frightened and locked up. I want him to be free… but that can't exactly happen now… I'll always be on the run. You saw the news didn't you? Jude has been in Crocus 5 times in the duration I've been here. Thank god he hasn't found me yet, but it's only a matter of time…"

"Lucy… Come here… I'm sorry I made you tell me that… You just gave birth and you're tired. Get some rest." Yukino hugged her tightly. "I have some kingdom duties to attend to so I'll be back here in a few days to pick you up so that you can go home. Sit tight." The light blue haired female left the room as well.

Lucy yawned and stretched out her body.

"Ow. Ow! OW! That was **not** a good idea…" her body ached all over, especially her back.

 _I wonder if Jude was actually in Crocus for a political conference, or it was just to hide the fact that he's looking for me…_

Lucy soon fell asleep amongst her thoughts.

* * *

Two months rolled by quickly and Lucy felt as though Haruto was growing up too fast. She left her job at the hospital and stayed at home, looking after her son. Yukino insisted as it would be a safer and healthier environment for Haruto to grow up in.

Lucy sat on the couch, her legs on the table as she was feeding her son a bottle of milk while flicking through channels on the TV. Her broom lay leaning on the couch along with the dustpan, mop and bucket.

" _Breaking news! Jude Heartfilia and Hikaru Eucliffe are back again in Crocus for yet_ _ **another**_ _business meeting. Authorities say it is getting a bit excessive and suspect something is up. The pair have not only been to multiple conferences in Crocus but_ _ **all**_ _over Fiore! Reporter Jenny Realight is there for the live coverage now."_

" _Thank you. Now as you can see, Jude Heartfilia and Hikaru Eucliffe have just hopped out of their vehicles and entering the building! As always, their security is as tight as ever, body guards everywhere. Citizens even report spotting a large amount of body guards roaming the streets in the night. What could these wealthy aristocrats be looking for? They arrived in Crocus only 2 days ago-"_

"Hey Lucy! You've finished the cleaning already? Hey! Are you listening to me?" Yukino walked into the lounge room and immediately noticed the report. "Give me that!" She snatched the remote and turned off the TV. "What have I told you about watching the news?"

"But… I have to know if my father is in the city or not… He's really close this time…" Lucy hugged Haruto tight.

"Don't worry about it! Crocus is a **massive** city! He could never find you!"

"Didn't you here what the reporter said?! They have 'large amounts of body guards roaming the streets in the night'. That could only mean one thing! He's probably checked every other town and turned it inside out so this is the last a place to check. He knows I'm here! And by the rate he's going, he's going to find me…"

"But he won't even recognise you! You have beautiful chestnut brown hair! Not the blonde hair he's familiar with." Yukino fought.

"I know! I know… but it's not that hard to figure out who your daughter is through other features… even if he was a horrible father. The only reason why nobody knows who I am is because I never really existed in the real world. No one has ever seen me before. They've only heard rumours about the infamous daughter… but that's only rumours."

"It's ok… He won't find you… and even if he does, He'll have to go through me."

"He could have an army at his fingertips Yukino! If he threw enough money around, he could even become your boss!"

Haruto began crying while flailing his arms and legs around.

"Shh… shh… it's ok… it's ok…" Lucy rocked him in her arms.

Yukino sighed. "I suggest you just stay inside until we can figure out a plan. Your hair dye is already starting to go away and I can see a lot of your blonde-ness now."

"Yeah but I already have a plan…"

"You do?!"

Lucy nodded. "It's not foolproof but it's my best shot."

"Don't tell me you're going to run… again!"

"Well… yeah. The only way to get away from him is to keep on outrunning and outsmarting him."

"But what about Haruto? You can't exactly be on the run with a baby… He can stay with me!"

"No… no… You have a job Yukino! A job you love to do. I'll just go on the run with Haruto. It'll be hard, yes but I'm not going that far. I'll probably take the train this time."

"But where are you planning to go?"

"Magnolia. It's a small town with a lot of facilities that could help me. There's even an orphanage there!"

"An orphanage?! AN ORPHANAGE?!" Yukino shouted.

"No! That's not what I meant! I'll only put Haruto in the orphanage if worst comes to worst… I'm just saying, it's a peaceful town with no big halls and stuff that Jude can hold meetings in. He'll never even think to go there. Knowing him, his thought process is probably: 'if the town doesn't have enough money to fund for a hall or building supremely for business and politics, it is not worth my time'."

"You have a good point… but when is the best time to go? You can't avoid the guards since they're walking around at night."

"I'll just go in broad daylight then." She shrugged, looking down at her sleeping baby.

"But… what'll happen once you make it to Magnolia? Are you going to rent out a place and live there or are you going to keep moving around? Are you even going to come back to see me?"

"Of course I'll come back to see you Yukino! You have changed my life for the better and without you, I wouldn't have anything to live for. I'm not sure when I will be able to visit you though, probably when everything has settled down and when I get the chance. I don't know what will happen, but when it does, I hope I'll be ready."

"When… when will you leave?" Yukino swallowed the large lump in her throat.

"Preferably as soon as possible. Maybe tomorrow or the day after. I don't know what area of Crocus the guards will be looking so it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Lucy… in all honesty, I don't want you to leave…" Yukino sighed. "But it's not up to me…"

"I'm sorry oneechan. I have to..."

* * *

 **Wait for the next update in 2 days time!**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Nightcore's Lover: You live in Florida?! COOOOOOOOOOOL! Maybe we'll even meet each other without knowing it! Do you have any tips on surviving over there? Anything I should and shouldn't do? Thanks for reading!**_

 **Alright so I can't be the only one excited for all the Marvel and DC movies coming out... I mean, come on guys! IT'S SO HYPE! Sorry, just so giddy! I should just get on with the story...** **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer - Fairy Tail is not owned by me**

* * *

3 days rolled passed and Yukino bawled her eyes as they parted at the train station.

"Calm down… You're making me feel bad about this." Lucy shook her head in disbelief.

"You should feel bad! How are you not crying?! You have to promise to stay safe, eat enough food, take care of yourself and Haruto, be careful… oh my god! I forgot to dye your hair! So much blonde is showing! Half your head is blonde! Oh no! I'm such a bad person… You have to promise to come visit me when everything is all good and you have to promise to never give up!" Yukino rambled as tears ran down her cheeks.

"Jeez… you shouldn't worry about me so much. You have a whole life to live and a bright future. I should get going now… my train leaves soon. I love you Yukino and I'll miss you so much." Lucy hugged her 'big sister' as tight as she could.

"I'll miss you too… Goodbye little one…" As they parted and Lucy began walking away, Yukino's shoulders shook violently as she cried. "Lexi! Wait!"

Lucy turned around. Yukino only called her that in public. The pale-blue haired ball of mess ran towards the blonde and flicked her hood over her head.

"Always keep your hood on." Yukino patted her back.

Lucy turned around and kept on walking. If she stayed any longer, Yukino would've seen her tears. Readjusting her backpack strap and wiping the forever falling salty water, Lucy boarded the train, cradling Haruto in her arms. As the means of transport left the station, Lucy caught the last glimpse of Yukino running after the train.

 _Thank you so much…_

* * *

After reading her favourite book for the fiftieth time, Lucy took her pink glasses off, breast-fed her child and fell asleep, leaning on the train window.

Suddenly, Lucy jolted awake from the stop of the train. She squinted around, eventually finding her bag in the darkness and shoved all of her loose things inside. Looking out the window and squinting at the sign, Lucy panicked.

 _Oh no! This is the station for Magnolia!_

Quickly running down the aisle, Lucy sprinted out, the door barely missing her. She looked around and there was no one there. Lucy started walking and found herself on a dirt road. Upon approaching small houses with barns and farm animals, Lucy furrowed her eyebrows.

 _I thought Magnolia was a town… not a farming community…_

Noticing a woman walking passed, Lucy approached her, changing the position of how she was holding Haruto.

"Excuse me. May I please know where I am?"

"You're in Acalypha dear. Are you ok?" The woman politely asked.

"Um… yes. Do you know where I can find Magnolia?"

"It is not that far from here actually. I'm assuming you came by train and Magnolia is the next station down. If you follow the train tracks, you'll find yourself there."

"Thank you so much." Lucy bowed and began walking towards the tracks.

Taking out her map and glasses, Lucy looked at it and scratched her head.

"Hm… how did I get Acalypha and Magnolia mixed up? The names aren't even similar to each other… I must've been **really** out of it. What do you think Haruto?" She looked down at her son to find him already asleep, again. Lucy laughed.

Putting everything back into her bag and taking out a flashlight, Lucy sighed. As she continued walking, she found the population in houses were decreasing and soon she came across a barn. Yawning, Lucy decided that she would resume walking in the morning.

She opened the creaking door and peeped inside. It smelled of hay and oil from the tractor. Lucy walked into the large space and closed the door behind her, pacing to a stack of hay. She lay down her things and sat on the ground, her back and neck leaning on the hay while her son was in her lap. Lucy soon fell asleep in that position, her worries fading away.

In her dreams, sounds of an engine became louder and louder until Lucy opened her eyes and realised that it was reality. Jumping to her feet, leaving Haruto on one of the stacks of hay, Lucy stared at the wooden door.

Sounds of motorbikes roared and echoed through the night, beams shining into the barn.

"Oi! Joey! Sam! Al! Check the barn! The rest of you go to the town and check there! Boss won't be very happy if we don't find this chick! So at least come back with a clue, now be gone!" A gruff voice shouted.

Lucy stood tensely in her spot, not knowing what to do.

 _They must be after me… how did they find me so fast?! How many people does Jude have on my tail?!_

Once the engines were turned off, Lucy heard footsteps coming closer to the barn. Panicking, she held Haruto in her arms, grabbed her bag and ran into a tool shed. Lucy found rope of the ground, tied it to the lock and pulled it inside. She wrapped the rope around her hand and pulled it as hard as she could to create a makeshift lock.

"Get that door open!" The man shouted.

Lucy heard loud banging noises from the men kicking at the barn's door. After several thumps, the door opened with a loud creak and a bash as it hit the wall.

Feeling her heart beat faster, Lucy held on to her son for dear life. Lucy heard footsteps walking all over the barn with the occasional bashes and shouts.

"There's nothing here! Let's move out!" One of the men exclaimed.

"No! Wait! We haven't checked the sheds over here!"

Lucy's breath shortened as she heard the footsteps coming closer to her. Gripping the rope for dear life, Lucy pulled even though it couldn't go any further.

Suddenly, Haruto whimpered in his sleep and that turned into vicious crying.

Hugging Haruto as tight as she could, Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, tears streaming down her face.

"Hey! I think there's someone in there… I swear I heard a baby's cry…" The man walked up to the shed and jostled the 'lock'.

He kicked several times at the metal door, swearing along the way.

"OI! GET OUT OF MY BARN YOU DARN BASTARDS!" A middle-aged man shouted, holding a torch in one hand and a shotgun in the other.

"Let's get out of here!" The men dressed in black ran passed the man and out of the barn, mounting their bikes and riding down the road to the town.

"Hello? Is anybody actually in there?" Chewing on gum, the farmer limped to the shed and knocked lightly on the shed.

"Help…" Lucy whimpered.

"Miss? You're going to have to let the rope go."

"Help…" Letting go of the rope, the blonde haired female fainted, Haruto starting to cry in her arms again.

"Miss? Miss?!" The farmer tugged at the door and it flung open. "Miss!"

The farmer carried Lucy and Haruto to his house, laying her on the couch. He tried taking Haruto out of her arms but Lucy held on to him for dear life.

"No… don't… father… don't…" She murmured.

"Miss… please wake up. Miss!" The man shook her violently.

"Huh?!" Lucy looked around the room and moved away from the man, holding onto her son.

"Don't worry Miss! I'm just a farmer. I saved you from the men… they ruined my barn!"

"Oh… Sorry… Thank you so much." Lucy relaxed.

"No problem Miss. Now I need to ask you your name, I don't want to keep calling 'Miss'."

"Oh I'm Lexi and this is Haruto… What's your name?"

"I'm Dustin, but my mates call me Dusty."

"Um… hello..." Lucy awkwardly smiled.

"You're a cute one, aren't you?" He smiled back, standing up. "I was just about to go have dinner, would you like some?"

"I'm sorry for bothering you… I'm such a hassle to people…"

"No it's fine! No need to worry." He walked into the kitchen and began preparing the food.

Lucy sighed and slouched back onto the couch.

* * *

The next morning, Dusty woke Lucy up with a shake and smiled.

"Oh! What time is it?"

"It's around 9. Is there a problem dear?"

"Dammit… I was planning on leaving early this morning. I guess my plan went out the window." They both laughed.

"Don't worry. At least now, I can give you a few things for the road. Go take a shower and then I'll have you a surprise."

"Thank you so much Dusty! I owe you big time… I'll be back once everything has settled down to repay you." Lucy hugged the man.

"Now go on. Haruto is just in the high chair in the kitchen so I'll give him some breakfast."

Lucy nodded and made her way up the stairs. After her shower, she looked at herself in the mirror.

"Oh man… My hair is predominately blonde… I have to get it dyed once I arrive at Magnolia."

Walking down the stairs, she packed her bags and was ready to leave.

"Alrighty. I'm ready to go." She smiled at the middle-aged man.

"Aren't you going to have breakfast?"

"Well I don't have much time. Thank you so much for all that you've done."

"No worries! You are welcome back anytime." Dusty walked around the corner and came back with a cardboard box, handing it to Lucy.

"Lexi dear, I want you to have these."

"What is it?" She opened it and gasped.

She was greeted with neatly folded clothes and blankets. There was a few dresses and skirts for her and a few things for Haruto.

"Those clothes were from my wife. She passed away from spinocerebellar degeneration disease… it was so hard to watch her suffer… for years. Slowly she had trouble walking, and then talking and then doing anything was hard. She was bedridden after a bit and then... Let's not bring the mood down. You remind me so much of her." Dusty smiled to stop his tears from surfacing.

"No… I can't take this! This belongs to you!" Lucy tried pushing it back in his arms.

"I want you to have it. She would've wanted you to have it."

"Thank you so much... whose baby clothes are these?"

"They were my daughter's. Her name was Marnie. She was such a sweetheart but… she left home a long time ago. Social services took her away from me because I was unfit to take care of her. After my wife passed, I was broke and couldn't afford to pay for anything. They took her away when she was 5… only 5…" By then, Dustin was in tears.

"I definitely can't take this!"

"No… she had beautiful blonde hair like what your natural hair looks like."

"But… these mean so much to you…" Lucy furrowed her eyebrows. Looking inside the box a little more, she found a gold necklace with a pendant that had 'hope' engraved on it in Japanese.

"Oh wow… I thought I had lost that." Dustin took it from the box and held it in his hands.

"What is it?"

"It was my wife's necklace. It was matching with Marnie's. She had one with her when she was taken away. Here. You have this too. It's time that I stop dwelling in the past." Dusty stepped closer to Lucy, swung the necklace around her and clipped it at the back.

Lucy looked down at it in awe.

"Thank you so much. Whatever happens, I'm going to come back and repay you."

"I'll be waiting…"

They laughed and cried at the same time.

"If I was financially more stable, I would offer to take Haruto in. I see you are running away from something and people are after you. Hiding with a newborn isn't safe. You should drop him off somewhere protected."

Lucy nodded. "And I can't put more strain on you by leaving Haruto here. No need to worry. Once I arrive at Magnolia, I'll find a place for him."

"Alright. As long as the little one's safe." Dusty went to the dinner table and grabbed Haruto from the high chair, giving him to Lucy. "Bye, bye little one." He kissed the boy on the head.

"Thanks so much for all that you've done. I can't thank you enough."

"Knowing that you're safe is enough for me. You should go now before it hits midday, it'll be too hot to walk anywhere."

Lucy hugged him tightly. "I'll be back, I promise."

Walking out the front door, tears streamed down her face.

"I'm sorry it's not safe enough for you to stay here Lexi. But just know, you impact everyone's lives… everyone that you meet…" Dusty bowed and waved as she was on her way.

Wiping her tears, Lucy grabbed out her glasses and map. "Magnolia… I hope there's a home for Haruto there."

* * *

 **Keep reading guys! Update will be in 48 hours! Hehe**


	6. Chapter 6

**Heading to America soon! So excited! But there's also cross country soon too... godammit! Thanks for all the favourites and follows guys! I really appreciate it!** **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer - I don't own Fairy tail**

* * *

After 3 hours of following the train tracks, Lucy finally made it to the town of Magnolia. She flipped her hood over her head, keeping a low profile.

Finding herself in a residential street, a male around her age with pink hair flew out of his front door.

"OI! GRAY! YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"

 _What the heck?_

She walked passed the crazy man quietly, avoiding the group as much as she could.

"You two stop fighting this instant! Natsu! Don't even dare try to speak back to me!" A red-haired female, with a big bust, sternly scolded.

The raven-haired boy stuck his tongue out.

"You too Gray! You're not off the hook yet!" A girl with short white hair pointed out.

 _Yukino?! Wait… no… this girl has blue eyes. Keep moving Lucy! Low profile godammit!_

"Whatever Lisanna." The male was soon sent flying, landing right in front of Lucy.

"Oh, sorry." He sheepishly apologised "Oh! What a cute baby? Is he yours?" The boy called Gray stood up and asked.

Lucy's eyes widened. She tried covering her face as much as she could with the hood.

The boy with pink hair soon approached her too.

"Aw. What a cutie! What's his name?"

"Um… I'm sorry but I have to go."

Lucy pushed passed the 2 boys as fast as she could, her fast paced walk soon turning into a sprint.

"Well… what a weirdo." The pink boy commented. (A/N hehe… see what I did there?)

 _That was way too close Lucy! You have to stay out of peoples' way! You've met too many people and you've told too many people your story… Get it together Lucy!_

Reaching a bus stop, she soon stopped running and sat on the chair, cradling Haruto in her arms as she panted in exhaustion.

A bus stopped in front of her and the doors opened.

"Are you getting on Ma'am?" The bus driver asked.

"Um… Yeah. Ok."

Lucy boarded the bus and sat down on one of the chairs. Her head leaned against the window as she fell asleep.

Like always, several hours later, Lucy woke up with a jolt. She glanced outside and noticed it was dark. Looking down at Haruto, she smiled in relief that he hadn't cried yet. As Lucy adjusted the hood on her head and played with her blonde hair, she glanced around the bus.

The vehicle came to a stop, 2 people got out and a man boarded. He was extremely drunk.

The man stumbled about and whipped off his jacket, swinging it over his shoulder.

Lucy squinted at the man and her eyes widened quickly in realisation.

He staggered passed her set of seats and then abruptly stopped, turning his head to her.

Lucy held her breath and looked at her lap, avoiding eye contact completely.

"You there! Get out of that seat! I claim it as mine!" He boomed.

The bus drove out of the stop with a jolt which sent the man flying, giving Lucy the chance to run to another seat before he noticed.

 _Oh my god… head down Lucy! Head down! I'm getting off at the next stop…_

Lucy held tightly onto Haruto, her palms sweating and her heart pounding. After about the longest 3 minutes of her life, the bus finally came to a halt. Lucy dropped a bill into the machine and bolted out the automatic doors.

As Lucy sprinted through the suburban streets, Haruto began crying from all the jumping around.

"Sh, sh, sh, sh, shhh… it's ok Haruto… Calm down…" Lucy slowed down her pace. "Mama's here…" She rocked the baby in her arms, her legs aching from the excessive exercise she's been doing.

Haruto continued crying so Lucy found a place to sit down (on the side of the street) and pulled out a milk bottle, feeding it to him.

"I'm sorry it's not warm honey…"

Lucy sighed as she remembered her close call.

 _If he hadn't been so drunk and noticed me, all my work would've gone down the drain. I guess it was a good thing he was an alcoholic father…_

(A/N That was Jude if you guys didn't notice.)

Lucy snapped out of her thoughts as her son choked on the milk.

"Oops. Sorry. I wasn't paying attention." She wiped his mouth with her sleeve and burped him.

Haruto made a content groan before falling back to sleep.

"I wish I could fall asleep as easily as you…" She laughed at herself. "But I have to find a home for you… a good and safe one. Maybe I should've left you with Dusty… no… It would be too much work for him-"

"Aw man! I'm still hungry though! Are you just going to leave me? Are you kidding? We were just getting started on Halo too!"

"No Natsu… The whole group has had enough mucking around today. Especially you and Gray with your petty fights." The white-haired girl rested her hands on her hips.

"They're not petty!"

Lucy watched in awe at how easily the 2 spoke.

 _Is this how it is? I guess I did a pretty good job with Dusty then… I thought I was being too open to him… Oh crap! I have to hide!_

Lucy grabbed her things and quietly tip-toed behind a mini-van.

"They are so! It's getting late though Natsu."

"Can we make a deal?"

"Fine…" The girl sighed.

"Ok! So Gray, Erza, Gajeel, Jellal and Wendy can leave first but you can stay with me for a little longer to play some more Halo!"

"How is that even a deal?!" She exclaimed.

"Cause." He replied childishly.

"Fine. Whatever. But if I beat you in the first round, no second rounds! And no screen cheating either! Just be ready to get rekt!" The two teens went back inside of the house.

After around 30 seconds, a large group left and Lucy sat there, confused.

 _Wait… Halo? Is that the shooting one with aliens? I think Gemini showed me that once…_

Then Lucy had a thought.

 _What if I leave Haruto with them? They seem like a very nice couple… maybe not the most mature, but maybe they'll be able to give Haruto the freedom I've always wanted._

"Hey buddy… I think I've found you your new family." Lucy smiled and kissed his forehead.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you so much for the reviews and favourites and follows guys! I'm starting to feel like a little family that is slowly growing... Oh so proud... BUT! I wont be able to update for the next 7 days because I will be in America... sorry guys... If I am able to update, it will be because of a miracle but its a pretty low chance. Anyways...**

 **MIMI! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! IM SO SORRY I'M LEAVING.. DONT CRY! I SWEAR I WILL COME BACK! I LOVE YOU SO SO SO MUCH YOU DONT UNDERSTAND... BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

 **Sorry guys... got a bit emotional there... sigh. Well...** **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer - I don't own FT!**

* * *

During the night, Lucy slept on the side of the road - on the curb - behind the van and woke up early in the morning. She changed Haruto's diaper and had a small snack for breakfast.

Looking around cautiously, Lucy ran to the front door, placed the bundle of blankets down on the step with the note, and ran back behind the red van.

 _Wait… what's supposed to happen now? Ohhhh… I forgot to ring the doorbell. Facepalm._

Running to the door again, she pressed the button and ran back, exhausted.

After around 20 seconds, Lucy heard the door unlock and the boy with pink hair emerged. He looked around several times, not noticing anything and then closed the door.

Lucy deadpanned.

 _Of course he didn't see it! How dense is he?! Look down you moron! Was it a mistake to give it to someone like him…? Well… it's too late now…_

Lucy slowly walked up to the door again, ringing the bell and then running back.

Natsu slammed open the door in rage.

"What the hell do you want?!" He looked around the street, furious.

"What's the matter Natsu?" Lisanna came to the door as well, instantly noticing the bundle of blankets.

"Some stupid hooligans made me pause the game **twice** because they kept ringing the damn doorbell!"

"Well one, you've been playing too much Halo and Fall Out 4 for your own good so this distraction is good for you and two…"

"What?!"

"Look down for me please."

Natsu looked at his feet and saw the bundle.

"W-w-what is it? Is it a dead animal?" He took a step back.

"No you idiot!" She smacked the back of his head. "I'm 99% sure it's a baby."

"A BABY?! WHY THE HELL WOULD SOMEONE LEAVE A DEAD BABY ON MY DOORSTEP?!"

"No! Not a dead one. It's like in the movies you know? Where somebody can't take care of their child and then they leave it on someone's doorstep and hides behind something and watches the people read the note they left and take their child in the house before crying."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Natsu scratched his head.

"IT HAPPENS IN MOVIES OK?!" She picked up the baby and gave the note to Natsu. "Hello there…" Lisanna smiled at the boy.

"Um… huhhhhhh…" Natsu squinted at the note.

 _Dear the male with pink hair,_

 _I'm so sorry to put this burden on you, but I can no longer take care of my son. I can't tell you the details, however I will tell you what you need to know, or rather what you deserve to know._

 _I suffered from child abused which evolved into my adulthood. My father would beat me at least once a week, sometimes even three times. Then he went too far and tried selling me off to an arranged marriage. He forced the man and me to have intercourse so that my father would have an heir to his business. That's how this little munchkin came to the world._

 _I ran away and I'm still on the run. My father is relentless. I know that you would feel that you are not responsible for the child and that it's not a big deal, but that's why I've told you my story. Not for you to sympathise with me, but with my son. Please take him in and welcome him into your family. Please teach him that life can be fun and rewarding when you try your best and most importantly, teach him freedom. I want him to have everything I didn't have._

 _If it isn't too much hassle, I have named my son Haruto. Please use that as his name_ _so that whenever we do meet, I'll be able to know that he is safe and sound, even if I'm not. He doesn't need to know about me until he is old enough though._

 _The aspect that pains me most, is that my son won't grow up with a mother… much like I did. But just for you to know, when my life has settled and my father has finished his pursuit, I will come back to thank you in person. I will repay you._

 _Thank you so much in advance as I know that you have a good heart as you wear it on your sleeve. Please keep my promise, and I will keep mine._

 _L_

Natsu furrowed his eyebrows.

"What's the matter Natsu?"

"This… the mother… she had a terrible life… and… she's trusting me with her only happiness.

Lucy sighed from behind the van.

 _I guess that was the hardest part out of the way._

"Should we call the police? I mean, we found a baby on your doorstep. In movies, they would just take the kid in but this is real life! I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing!"

"No police Lisanna. Just take Haruto inside."

"Natsu… You named him already? You're already becoming attached!"

" **She** named him. Now just take him inside. It's a little cold out here."

"You're acting really protective Natsu… and strange too…" Lisanna slid back into the house.

"Wait!"

"Huh?" Coming back to the door, Lisanna tilted her head.

"Wait… you said in movies people hide behind things and watch them take the baby in… since Haruto is still here, that means she's still here too…"

"Whoa, whoa Sherlock Holmes! No need to jump the gun! We don't even know if that's something someone does in real life!"

"Why don't we find out? There's a suspicious van there."

Lucy gulped, listening to the whole thing.

 _Should I run or stay here? There's nowhere else to hide! If I run, he'll see me and chase, but if I stay, he'll definitely find me and never let me go. At least if I run, I'll have a chance of getting away._

She let out a shaky breath and peered around the van. Natsu was walking towards her.

 _It's now or never. It's now or never. It's now or never._

Lucy chanted in her head. Like an antelope being chased by a cheetah, Lucy sprinted for dear life towards the main road.

Natsu quickly diverted his attention to the noise of fast footsteps and was in quick pursuit.

 _Oh no… He's fast! What?! He's gaining on me!_

* * *

 ** _Mwhahahahahaahahahahahh! I'm so evil... leaving you guys on a cliffhanger like that for a whole week... Usually you'd have to wait 2 days but not this time! Sorry! Forgive me! Hehe._**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm back in Australia and back to my laptop with internet! YAY! So much happened while I was gone and I really enjoyed myself. I met so many people from all around the world from South Korea to Japan to Israel to India to Thailand and to North Carolina (if you were there, you get that joke... hehe). One team from our school won one of the categories! It was so surreal and exciting! AND our teacher won best innovative teacher! I couldn't even believe it!**

 **Every American I met always commented on my accent (even though I didn't know I had one...) and I made so many good memories. I met some awesome boys over there that I will never forget. SHOUT OUT TO CHRIS AND NOLAN! I MISS YOU GUYS! They were so tall and just towered over me but they were both so funny, kind, smart and caring (including their contagious smiles). I'm not gonna lie, I cried... no bawled when they left our hotel to go back to their boarding school. I'm probably never going to see them again (except through Skype and Facebook). I hope that they will come to Australia to share some more memories with our school. They have become apart of our family and even our teachers have said they wanted to adopt them. Anyways, enough of me being sentimental and reminiscing and emotional, I will always have pictures and memories of our time together... AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE! OI OI OI!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer - I obviously don't own Fairy Tail, if I did... Mwhahhaaha**

* * *

"HEY! WAIT UP! I'M NOT GOING TO HURT YOU!" Natsu shouted after her.

Lucy held onto her hoodie for dear life as her bag bounced around on her back. She manoeuvred her way around crowds of people and she realised she nearly lost the pink-haired maniac. Letting her guard down, a rough hand grabbed onto her wrist, spinning her around to look right into his eyes.

Natsu stared at her intently. With the force of the pull, her hoodie fell off her head, revealing her head of blonde hair. Time seemed to slow down as Natsu's eyes ran all over her face, memorising the features and especially her eye colour.

 _What the fuck are you doing Lucy? RUN!_

Remembering back to Loke's self-defence lessons, she swug her elbow and hit Natsu in the face and made a sprint for it.

Natsu stumbled back and froze in shock, not even thinking about running after her.

Lucy didn't dare turn back so she kept on running and running, ignoring the fact that her legs ached and burned.

 _Lucy! You fricken idiot! How dumb are you getting?! That was way too close… WAY too close. Ok… time to get some hair dye, he saw my face and blonde hair! Hopefully he didn't recognise me… But what the fuck? In novels, people would bring the kid in and then never investigate! What is wrong with him? That's his first thought? RUN OUT?! He nearly ruined everything!_

Feeling the rage inside of her grow, she decided to calm down and she slowed her pace to normal walking speed. Stopping at a small store, Lucy bought some hair dye, a few water bottles and some snacks.

Dying her hair in a public bathroom, much to her disgust, Lucy came out looking like her 'old' self.

 _Ok… now I feel better. At least if I get caught, they can't prove that I'm Lucy Heartfilia. I am now Lexi Heartmon. That's not such a bad name for thinking of it on the spot… good job Lucy!_

She smiled at herself. Walking down the street with a canal next to her, Lucy breathed in the wonderful scent of freedom.

Suddenly, Lucy remembered Haruto. A wave of overwhelming emotions washed over her and she began to cry. Her shoulders shook violently and her cheeks and eyes ached from all the sobbing.

Then, as she was walking, Lucy collapsed to the ground, unconscious. The last thing in her mind that she saw was a short girl with short blue hair run to her.

* * *

"… she going to be ok?"

"She is stable now, just had a little dehydration and exhaustion. Just stay with her. I need to ask you a few questions first."

"Yes. Of course!"

"How do you know this woman and for how long?"

Lucy rolled her head to the side and groaned.

"Oh! She's awake! Darling, can you speak to me?" The nurse asked.

"Where am I?" Lucy's voice was raspy and weak.

"You're in the hospital dear. No worries, your friend saved you."

"My friend…?" Lucy instantly thought of the pink-haired boy and panicked. Her eyes short opened and darted around the room to land on the girl with short blue hair.

"Hi." She said sweetly.

"Ok, I need to do a few simple tests on you to make sure your brain isn't jumbled. Is that ok?" The nurse smiled.

"Um… yeah."

(A/N This stuff isn't legit… I'm making it up guys)

"Alright darling. So what's your name?"

"I'm Lexi Heartmon…"

"Good. Now what colour are your eyes? I'm just trying to see if you've lost your memory in any shape or form and if you are responsive."

"I have…. Brown eyes."

"That's good. Now squeeze my hand for me." The nurse held Lucy's hand.

Lucy still felt weak and tired but she obliged.

"Good, good. Now wiggle your toes."

Lucy did as she was told once more.

"Ok, that's good. For now, you're in the clear. Just stay in bed and don't get up too fast if you feel the need to. You might feel a little dizzy when standing up so before you walk, sit up and count to 10 then fully stand up." The nurse left the room with her clipboard.

"May I ask who you are?" Lucy turned to the short girl.

"I'm Levy. Levy McGarden. Nice to meet you Lexi." She smiled, adjusting her headband.

"Levy? Why did you say that we were friends?"

"Well since I saved you and all, I thought maybe we could be friends… you seem really cool."

"Me…? Cool? Are you joking?"

They both laughed.

"Thank you though… seriously. I would've probably have died if you didn't help me. The world needs more people like you." Lucy smiled.

"Are you new around here? I know everyone in Magnolia and I don't think I've seen you before."

"Yeah… I'm from Crocus…" She lied.

"Really? That's pretty far. You know, I studied criminology in college and read like 1000 books on it so I can tell you're lying." Levy raised her eyebrows.

 _HOW DOES EVERYONE FIND OUT I'M LYING?! WHAT THE HECK?! PEOPLE THESE DAYS NEED TO STOP READING ME!_

"I'm sorry… I can't tell you where I'm from."

"That's ok, we've only just met so I didn't expect you to even tell me your name. Do you have somewhere to stay?" Levy asked.

"Not at the moment… I'm just looking for a job."

"Hey! I've got an idea!" Levy jumped up out of her seat.

"What is it?"

"Well I work at the library and I travel around a lot to run errands for them and to send messages to and from places."

"Places?"

"Yep. Like universities, colleges, schools in general, business and sometimes even the council." The blue haired girl explained.

"The… council?"

"Do you have a problem with the council?"

"Um… well you can say that…"

"Are you a criminal…?" Levy took a step back, bumping into the chair that blocked her way.

"No! No… I'm not… I've just… the council is looking for me. I'm a missing person." Lucy looked at down at her lap, playing with the blanket.

"I won't force you to tell me but if you want us to become closer as friends, think about when and how." Levy sat back down onto the chair.

"I'm sorry… I just… why are people so nice to me…?" Lucy curled up into a ball and sobbed.

"Eh?! Lexi! Please calm down! I'm sorry if I triggered anything! Please stop crying…"

"I can't… Everybody was so mean to me… They were so horrible! No one was nice and they were so… so…" She rested her chin on her knees.

"Hey… hey… calm down… I should probably call the doctor in here. This could be a side effect to the dehydration and meds and stuff." Levy stood up to go leave. Lucy grabbed her wrist.

"No… I'm sorry for making you worry…" Her voice was raspy.

"No, no… it's cool. Honestly."

Lucy tried calming down her hiccups by pressing down her chest with her hands.

"It hurts…" She winced.

"What hurts? I think I have to call the doctor now."

"No… it's just… my anxiety. It fucks with me all the time, that's why it seems like I'm overreacting."

"Calm… calm… find your happy place and focus." Levy squeezed her hands.

Lucy shook her head. "No… no… I can't… It's not that easy!" She put her hands around her ears and tugged at her hair.

"I'm sorry! I won't say anything…"

"Everybody hates me… I'm worthless. I'm useless. My life is hopeless! My father was right. Everything he said was right! I should just die. Everything is my fault… all my fault!" Lucy cried out.

(A/N Well that escalated quickly...)

"Is there anything I can do to help? Lexi… Talk to me…"

Lucy shook her head and searched for her 'hope' necklace. Wrapping her fingers around the pendant and chain, her breathing slowed and she listened to her own heartbeat.

Levy shakily placed her hand on Lucy's shoulder. "Are… are you ok…?"

Taking in deep breaths, Lucy looked up, her eyes red and puffy.

"I'm sorry for scary you Levy… to be honest… it scares me to."

"No… no. It's ok. If it's ok, I just want to know if there is a topic we should stay away from. I don't want to trigger your anxiety again."

"No… there's definitely a topic I'd rather not converse over, but I have to. I have to get over it and if we are to be friends, you have to know what I've been through to understand and help me, so that I can help you in return."

"Please… anything. I just don't want to pry into your life. We've only just met!" Levy giggled.

"Oh… right... heh…"

"Um… I don't know if I should leave you here alone to recover and dwell in your thoughts or stay to help you and make sure nothing happens."

"No… It's ok. I should be fine on my own." Lucy smiled to reassure Levy.

"You sure?" The now brunette, nodded. "100% sure? 500%?"

Lucy laughed. "Yes, I'm sure Levy. You should probably go home and relax, it's been a pretty stressful day for the both of us."

Levy bowed and left the room, waving 'bye' as the door closed behind her.

Lucy sighed.

 _Haruto… I wonder how you're doing. Probably a lot better than me…_

* * *

 **The chapter is a little early today because I'm pretty jet lagged so sorry about that.**

 **Just a random question, but do any of you go to North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics? Just leave a review if you do! Anyways, stay tuned for the next chap coming out in 2 days!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks for the reviews and favourites and follows guys! So I know that 10 years is a long time, but cut me some slack... I do need to keep the story moving. Believe it or not, I almost forgot to post this chapter! I went into bed and slept for a bit then woke up with a jolt realising I had forgot! What a relief I didn't... Again, this is earlier than usual, but that's just because I got sick while in America and I'm not exactly feeling too good so I've got to sleep early. So that's me explained.** **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer - I don't own Fairy Tail whatsoever**

* * *

~ 10 Years Later ~

The brown- haired female yawned as she awoke, realising that her best friend had been poking her for a few minutes now.

"Levy-chan… c'mon man! Let me sleep…" Lucy groaned.

"But Lu-chan! We've been travelling all around Fiore for like forever now and we're finally back at Magnolia! You should at least be a little more excited!" The blue-haired girl nearly fell out of her seat in excitement.

(A/N in the anime and manga there wasn't any passports or ID needed for anything so I didn't think Lucy needed one or to register herself to get one.)

Lucy had told Levy about her past and everything that had happened, except about Haruto. They had been travelling to try to get away from Lucy's father who had become bankrupt a year later. Even though he had lost all of his fortune, he was still secretly after her for 8 years but recently Lucy hadn't heard anything.

"Well we missed the biggest fricken city! I wanted to visit some people…" The brunette thought back to Yukino and Dusty.

"Don't worry Lu-chan. There's always next time. And the only reason why we didn't go to Crocus was because of your father. Now that he's supposedly stopped looking for you, for now, Magnolia is a safe place."

"Yeah. Will he ever stop though? Anyways, we can't just kick out the tenants that live at our place now that we're back. I'll have to find us an apartment." They both sighed.

"Actually! To think about it, some of my high school friends know this landlady and I'm sure they'll be able to put in a good word for us."

Suddenly, the train came to jerky stop, Lucy's nose coming in contact with the seat in front of her. She rubbed her red, tender skin while grabbing her bag from the top compartment.

"Are you ok?" Levy stifled a laugh.

"Yeah… totally." Lucy shook her head as they got off the means of transportation.

"We should go to the library to tell them we're here so we can get our jobs back." Levy suggested.

Lucy nodded as they walked out of the station, dragging their suitcases behind them. The brunette breathed in the fresh air as they walked through the markets towards the library.

"I missed this atmosphere…"

"Me too… Smells like home."

* * *

"G-G-Gajeel…?" Levy's face heated up. She was on the phone with her high school friends about renting a place. "H-h-hi! I-it's been a while. My friend and I were wondering if you could ask Natsu's landlady to give us a place."

 _Natsu…? Where have I heard that name before…? Strange. A memory sparks in my brain when I hear that name, but it's so blurry and fragmented I'm not even sure if it's a dream or not…_

(A/N Do you guys ever get that? Like flashes of memories but it's so random and vague that you don't know if your brain made it up or not… I get it all the time, dunno about you)

Lucy snapped out of her thoughts when Levy hung up.

"Ok! My friends are going to go talk to their landlady. We should head over to their place. They said that the house next door has been empty for a while."

"That's perfect!" Lucy beamed even though her thoughts troubled her.

 _Once we've settled down, I'll go visit Haruto. I hope my little one is doing well... he's not going to be little anymore though... I've missed so much of his life..._

"Let's get going! Taxi! Here!" Levy stuck her hand out to the road and stood on the curb. "C'mon Lu-chan!"

"Yeah!"

As they drove off, the area became less of big buildings but more of small houses and apartments with a canal running through the middle.

"This place looks familiar…" Lucy squinted her eyes at the scenery.

"That's because you've been here before! I found you unconscious on the side of the road in this area." Levy laughed.

"Really?! No wonder why I started to feel nostalgic."

 _Since this is where I fainted… that means Haruto is near! WHY CAN'T MY STUPID BRAIN REMEMBER WHICH HOUSE IT WAS?! How could I forget something this important?!_

"ARGHHH!" Lucy groaned.

"Lu-chan? Are you ok?"

"Eh? Oh sorry… just thinking about stuff." The brunette facepalmed.

"We're here." The gruff driver grunted.

"Thank you for the ride sir." Lucy paid the man.

She got out of the car and looked around, once again squinting.

"What's the matter?"

"This place… I've… I've been here before…" Lucy shook her head.

"That's not possible. We used to live on the other side of Magnolia. Unless you were here before we met."

Suddenly, a large man with long, black, spikey hair flew out of one of the doors, landing in front of Levy.

"Gajeel?"

"Shrimp?"

Levy dropped her luggage and started sobbing, Gajeel ruffling her hair.

"Levy?! What the heck just happened?!" Lucy looked around in confusion.

"Gajeel…" The small girl hugged the man.

Several seconds later, a raven-haired boy, a red-haired female, a pink-haired male, 2 blue-haired girls, an azure-haired man and a silver-haired girl walked out of the house.

"Levy!" They all exclaimed, running towards them.

"Guys! I want you to meet my best friend." Levy introduced.

They all greeted her with such friendliness. Lucy's eyes darted at the different faces and soon rested on the pink-haired male.

"Hey! I'm Natsu!" He flashed a large toothy grin. "This stripper here is Gray, this is Erza, that short one is Wendy with Juvia and this is my girlfriend Lisanna. Nice to meet you!"

"H-h-hi…"

"Lu-chan… Name…" Levy whispered into her ear.

"Oh! I'm Lexi Heartmon, nice to meet you too." She bowed.

"You're name is 'Sexy'?!" Natsu exclaimed.

"It's Lexi you idiot!" She hit him upside the head.

"I like you already. Keeping the delinquent in shape. As he said, I'm Erza, welcome to the family Lexi." The scarlet haired female shook Lucy's hand.

"Family…?" Lucy questioned.

"That's what we are Lex!" Natsu swung an arm around her shoulders.

"Lex…?"

 _He gave me a nickname already... huh._

"Natsu! Don't scare the poor girl. I bet you she's overwhelmed right now." A girl with short silver hair pried her boyfriend off of Lucy.

 _Wait a minute… Yukino…? No… no… NO! This couple! Haruto!_

Lucy hadn't realised that they were the couple she gave her son to, it had been so long. As if on cue, a young boy with blonde hair walked out of the house. Lucy's eyes widened.

She then too, dropped her luggage much like Levy.

"Lu-chan…?"

The boy ran to Natsu, hugging him.

"This is my son, Haruto."

 _Calm down Lucy… they can't know that you're the mother. Too much explaining for one, and it would break Haruto's heart to know that his own mother left him… just wait Lucy, just wait till he's older…_

Lucy took a deep breath in.

"Hey there little one!" She ruffled his blonde hair that much resembled her natural hair.

"Hello Miss!" He smiled.

"He's so cute… nothing like you Natsu." She joked as the whole group broke into laughter.

"HEY! WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO ME! And actually, if you can't tell, I'm not his biological father, and he knows that. Hmph."

"Yeah but you're still my Daddy anyway!" Haruto looked up and pouted.

"Yeah, yeah…"

"Cheesy much…" Gray fake vomited.

"NATSU?! YOU HAVE A KID?! WHO'S THE MOTHER?!" Levy freaked out.

"He **is** the mother…" Gray and Gajeel sniggered as they fist bumped.

"Oi! Do you want to go?!"

"Bring it flame-brain!"

"Oh you're on! Stay back Haruto…" Natsu lunged at Gray and they began to brawl.

Lucy crouched down to eye level to the boy.

"Hey Haruto. Have you been a good boy for Natsu?"

"Yep! I get good grades at school and I stop the bullies!"

"Well done!" She ruffled his hair. "How old are you?"

"I'm 10." He smiled brightly.

"10? Wow! You're so tall!"

"I try my best!"

Lucy laughed at him.

"Hey Lex... You look familiar somehow." Natsu put his fight on hold as he placed his finger to his chin.

"W-w-what do you mean?"

Lucy stood up straight as she cursed herself for stuttering. She unconsciously reached for her necklace and rubbed her fingers over the pendant.

 _Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit. Is it my face? Is it my eyes? Is it my body? WAS HE CHECKING ME OUT AND THEN REALISED?!_

"Hmmm..."

"This is my first time meeting you! I would know because it's hard to forget someone with pink hair." She reasoned.

"Yeah true but... I don't know." He furrowed his eyebrows and rubbed his temples.

"Maybe you saw me at the library or something since I work there." Lucy shrugged.

"I don't go to the library..."

"Well what do you find familiar about me...?" Lucy cautiously asked.

"Well... I can't put my finger on it. ARGH THIS IS KILLING ME! WHO DO YOU REMIND ME OF?!"

Lucy sighed in relief.

 _Thank God I dyed my hair... Phew._

"Oh well. I should figure it out sooner or later." Natsu shrugged as he punched Gray, going back into his brawl.

"Lu-chan... do you mind telling what just happened?" Levy whispered.

"H-h-huh... What do you mean Levy-chan?"

"You know exactly what I mean..." She squinted her eyes at her best friend, suspicion taking over.

"Alright! You ladies still have your bags so you should probably come accustomed to your new place. Sorry for keeping you waiting." Erza crossed her arms.

"It's cool! But you're right, we should get going. Thanks for the warm welcome guys!" Lucy started walking to the place next to Natsu's house.

 _Jeez... destiny just_ _ **had**_ _to take me back here._

 **Hheheheehehehe! Lucy and Natsu are finally brought back together! Anyways, come back in 2 days for the next chapter! (hopefully I wont forget... heh)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everyone! Thank you for all the reviews and favourites and follows! I know I always say that, but I really mean it! Thank you! Seeing a notification on my phone about someone new liking my story, puts a smile on my face (no matter how cheesy that sounds). Without further ado, here is chapter 10! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer - I don't own Fairy Tail! Credits go to Hiro Mashima!**

* * *

Many weeks passed and Lucy had gotten to know Natsu better, even though he never really 'knew' her. She had gotten closer and got to catch up with Haruto, feeling sad about missing 10 years of his life.

At the moment, Lucy was walking with Haruto home after a day at the markets, along with Natsu. They actually looked like a family.

"Hey Haruto, did you have fun today?" Lucy smiled at him.

"Of course I did! Thanks so much for getting me this, Auntie Lexi!" The blonde boy spun the tires of his Hotwheels car as he giggled.

Lucy smiled down at him as she held his hand.

"Lex~~ I'm hungry!" Natsu whined.

"Shut up Nat-"

Suddenly, a girl with long, wavy pale-blonde hair trudged passed, a suitcase in tow. Lucy noticed the girl glance at her with her bloodshot eyes.

Sitting down on the curb, she sighed intently as she ran her hand through her hair.

"-su..."

Lucy stopped walking and turned around to approach the girl, feeling sorry for her. She let go of Haruto's hand and crouched in front of her.

"Hey there... Are you ok?"

"Huh?" She looked up and wiped her eyes quickly. "Yeah I'm fine. Thanks for asking though." She quickly stood up and brushed her jeans.

"Wait! Don't go. What's your name?" Lucy reached out to grab her wrist.

"Oh... uh... Why?" She put her hair behind her ear.

"I want to help you."

"Why would you want to help me? You don't know what has happened, or what I've been through or where I'm going so there's really no point. Anyway, what's in it for you?"

Lucy sighed. "I just have a hunch that something is wrong and I can help, please."

"If it really makes you feel any better, my name's Marnie."

"Marnie...?"

"Yeah, don't wear it out."

 _Why does her name feel so familiar?! Argh brain work!_

"Come on Lex, let's get going. We should let her go on her way." Natsu pulled her arm.

"No... wait..." Lucy furrowed her eyebrows.

"What? Do I know you?"

"I'm not sure... maybe. Where are you going?"

"I don't know. I ran away from home." Marnie gulped.

"If you don't mind, would you like to stay with me? I can help you." Lucy offered.

"Really? But why? Why are you so nice? I'm sorry I was being a dick it's just I've been wondering around aimlessly for so long and you're a stranger, I didn't know if you could be trusted."

"It's cool! A lot of people helped me when I needed it most, so come with me Marnie!"

* * *

"Alright! Welcome to my humble abode!" Lucy opened her door and smiled brightly.

Lucy had dropped Natsu and Haruto off at their house (next door) and Levy was out with Gajeel (hehe). Levy had gone back to her house after a month or so but she still came back to stay with Lucy a lot.

"Thank you so much." Marnie bowed politely.

She dropped her bags beside a small table and she sat on the couch, her posture extremely straight which Lucy found peculiar.

"It's ok if you're not comfortable telling me but I just want to know about what happened?"

"It's cool... well I should probably start from the beginning eh? I used to live with my mother and father but she passed away from something I never understood. Every day, she would fall over but she never put her arms out to brace herself. She also started to stumble over words and she would stutter and stay on the same word for a long time, trying to say it. From what I could remember, she also chocked on her saliva constantly and the doctors would have to come and stick some tube into her throat to unclog it. We eventually had to have a doctor live with us just in case anything happened. It was so peculiar. Then, she couldn't walk and talk altogether. Suddenly, when I was 4, she passed away. Seeing her suffer was one of the hardest things I had been put through, but obviously it was harder for her." Marnie breathed in and out deeply, wiping her forever falling tears as she had not told anyone else about this.

"I'm so sorry... that must've been the worst. But I can somewhat relate to you in that sense. My mother died from cancer when I was very young as well and it wasn't allowed to see her as she needed her rest, I never really understood that part." Lucy placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Wow... I guess we both suffered then."

"Yeah. But go on."

"Well after that, the farm that I lived on was failing: the crops were all being eaten by pests, a drought came and swept everything with it and my father couldn't earn any money since we couldn't sell any produce. We became so poor that my dad had to take me out of school because we couldn't afford it anymore. We only had one meal a day and it was horrible. Even though we suffered like that, we were still at least happy. Then, one day when I was 5, turning 6 the fricken next day, these men from the government came and took me away. They showed my father papers and said they had a warrant to take me. I haven't seen him since."

"This story... sounds... so familiar. It's like I've heard it before."

"Well I can't have been the only child taken away. The whole town that I lived in suffered from the drought and we all lost money."

"That's true..."

"But... I don't understand why, but I was then officially declared as an orphan and was up for adoption. A few days later, this man came in and asked to adopt me. He seemed like a nice man and he had a strong build. B-b-b-but..." The words hitched in her throat.

"A-are you ok...?" Lucy cautiously asked.

Marnie shook her head violently, squeezing her eyes shut.

"W-what... what did he do?"

"He... I can't... I finally escaped him after 10 years and I can't go back to remembering such a time..." She sobbed.

"You're only 15? What did he do to you? Tell me. I can get him into big trouble."

"But Lexi! It was horrible..."

"Tell me, please. I can stop this nightmare." Lucy hugged her tightly, rubbed her back in comfort.

"H-h-h-he... he beat me and... and r-r-raped me... He would cuff me to the bed and sometimes tie ropes all over my body to scar it and he would rape me and sometime whip me... Then, when I wasn't being abused or he wasn't feeding me or I wasn't at school, he would lock me in a cupboard for me to 'think about my actions'. When he first adopted me, he took all of my personal possessions that I had from home so I have nothing... Then he threatened me that if I ever said anything, he would lock me in the basement for 2 days with no food, nothing."

"WHAT. THE. FUCK." Lucy stood up and threw pillow she was hugging.

Marnie sobbed into her pillow as her shoulders shook.

"I'm calling the police. Where did you live and what is his name? He will be after you Marnie. You have to tell me." Lucy demanded.

"U-u-u-um... 21 Elna Street, Clover town. His name is Edward."

"Alrighty then, you stay here and recover and I'm going to call the police."

Lucy walked out of the room and dialled the number.

 _Ring, ring. Ring, ring. Ring, ri-_

 _236 what's your emergency?_

"Hi my name's Lexi and I just wanted to report a crime that has been happening for 10 years."

 _Please specify the details Miss._

Lucy breathed in and out.

"His name is Edward and he lives on 21 Elna Street in Clover town. A young lady, aged 15 has come to seek assistance as whilst she was staying with the man, he beat her, starved her, threatened her and raped her. This is not her biological father as she was adopted by him at the age of 5."

Lucy let a sigh release as she hadn't used that kind of language for 10 years and the last time she was so formal, it was to Sting. She even thought about visiting him but quickly dismissed the thought.

 _Alright Miss. Thank you for the information. A unit has just left to assess the situation and interview the man. Please keep the young lady calm. Would you like us to send someone there to pick her up? We need to talk to her for more information as well._

"I'll get her to a station sometime later since she's still shaken up. I'll take her to the Magnolia station, is that ok?"

 _Of course, there will be someone there waiting for you._

The lady hung up on Lucy as she walked back to the lounge room.

"It's going to be ok now Marnie." Lucy comforted.

"No it's not! Edward is going to come for me and when he does, he'll be out for you too." She cried.

"He won't! I promise... The police are going to ask you a few questions about this, ok? And if you answer honestly, they will arrest him."

"A-a-are you sure?"

"Of course."

* * *

After several hours of questioning and crying, they finally gave Marnie some space.

"Are you ok Marnie?" Lucy sat in the chair next to her.

"Well I don't know... They said that they had a whole team barge into his house and they found all the torture devices and all my belongings there and they questioned some neighbours and I think he's arrested or something I don't know..." She sighed in exhaustion.

"Well that's good, isn't it?" Lucy had stayed in the waiting room for the several hours as she was not authorised to be behind the one-way window/mirror in the interview room.

"I don't know... They asked me to call him at the police station in Clover Town while the officers here listened in. He didn't know that part though, so he was threatening me and saying what he would do to me since I ratted him out. That was enough for the officers to reveal themselves."

"That's great. He can't hurt you anymore. However, you did mention that they found your personal belongings from when you were little. To be honest, it's weird that Edward didn't burn them or throw it away. Have you got them with you?" Lucy asked.

"They said they found it in a small box under the house but they wouldn't let me have it. I don't know why but they said they needed someone older than 18. How old are you?"

"I'm older than 18 so I'll go get it for you. What's your surname?"

"Foreman, Marnie Foreman."

"Alright I'll be back."

Lucy left the white room and walked down the hallway, stopping at the waiting room (that had a receptionist at a desk) with a jolt.

"N-Natsu? What are you doing here? Who's taking care of Haruto?" Of course, her motherly instincts kicked in.

"Don't worry about him, Lisanna is babysitting. I was worried about you since you left all of a sudden with that girl. Was she ok?"

"Um, well she is now. I'll be back, give me a second."

Lucy walked up to the desk and told the receptionist about her situation. She told Lucy to go down the hallway and turn right. Once she was on her way, Natsu followed her like a puppy. She arrived to a room that had a man behind a fence like wall and behind him was a shelf containing boxes and random nick nacks.

"Hi I'm here to pick up some belongings." Lucy said to the man.

"Name?"

"Her name is Marnie Foreman but she's not old enough to pick it up."

"Alright." He turned around and stared at the shelf before getting a stool to stand on. He carelessly threw it onto the counter. "There you go. Write your name and date here and sign here, here, here and here." He handed the papers to Lucy.

She did as she was told and left to the interview room with the box and Natsu.

"So what's Marnie's story? We all have one and I'm yet to know yours." He looked at her expectantly.

"Well that's for another time. I'm here to stay and she isn't. Plus, I haven't heard yours either. Her story is horrible..." Lucy shook her head.

"Well? What happened?"

"When she was young, her mother was diagnosed with a disease that eventually stopped her from talking and moving. She suddenly passed away and a drought came and stuff happened so her father couldn't sell the crops they grew on the farm. He took her out of school because of how poor they were; they were stuck with one meal a day. A day before her birthday, people came and took her away, saying her father was unfit to take care of her. She was taken to an orphanage and one day a man came into the orphanage and adopted her. He took all of her belongings and hid it." Lucy gestured to the box. "He would beat her, threaten her, locked her in a cupboard, starved her and even raped her... tying and cuffing her onto a bed..."

"What the fuck?" Was all Natsu could get out.

"That's what I said. But the disgusting bastard is held in custody now and the police officers have enough evidence so he's probably going to be sent to jail."

"He's going to get more than a jail sentence..." Natsu's blood pressure rose as he cracked his knuckles, growling deep in his throat.

"Calm down Natsu! You are just going to make things worse." Lucy sighed intently. "Just keep quiet while I talk to Marnie, ok?"

"Whatever Lex..." Natsu pouted.

Lucy quietly opened the door to the interview room to see Marnie sleeping; her head nestled in her arms.

"Hey there Marnie... I'm back. Sorry it took a while." Lucy lightly rocked her arm.

The platinum blonde girl rubbed her eyes as she groaned, slowly waking up.

"It's cooool..." She slurred.

"I have your things, want to see if everything is there before we go?"

"No... let's head back to your place, this room is starting to make me feel gross." Marnie stood up from her chair, trudging to the door and opening it. "Are you coming or not?"

"Oh! Um yes." Lucy ran out of the door, leaving a sleeping Natsu behind.

"Are you just going to leave your boyfriend in there? He seems to fall asleep easy enough." She asked Lucy.

"What? Oh no! He's not my boyfriend!"

"Sure..."

Lucy dismissed her comment and ran back into the room, dragging Natsu behind her.

* * *

"Alright! Let's crack open this baby!" Natsu was about to crush the box but thank goodness for Lucy he didn't.

"Natsu! There could be fragile things in here!" She scolded.

Marnie went to go grab a pair of scissors, cutting the tape holding the lid together.

As soon as the box was open, a puff of dust blew up which created bursts of coughing from all three.

Once Marnie had recovered, she dived into the box, reminiscing at the objects and she even started to cry. Reaching the bottom, there was a gold necklace with a pendant that had 'faith' engraved on it in Japanese.

"Wait a minute... no... don't tell me." Lucy looked up at Marnie and suddenly remembered everything. She saw the resemblance. Tears sprung up into her eyes as she began sobbing into her hands. "Marnie... I can't believe this..."

"Lex? What's the matter? I'm confused..." Natsu scratched his head.

"Lexi? What are you talking about?" Marnie held the necklace in her hands.

Lucy looked up at her and reached down her shirt to grab the necklace that hung lowly around her neck. She showed Marnie it, tears streaming down her face. "I found you. Destiny has finally brought me to you."

* * *

 **See you guys in 2 days!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm just gonna jump straight into this chapter so... Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer - I don't own Fairy Tail**

* * *

Lucy jumped onto Marnie, startling the poor girl.

"Wait. Question. Why do you have my mother's necklace?"

"I met your father! He helped me a long time ago, around 9 years ago actually and he gave me a lot of things to help him get over his past. He is a real saint... What a small world it is!"

"My... my father? Please! Lexi! You have to take me to him!" Marnie begged.

"Of course I will! Natsu, are you coming with us?" Lucy turned to look at her best friend.

"Of course I am Lex! Lemme get Haruto." Natsu ran out of the house, screaming the little boy's name.

* * *

Lucy, Natsu, Marnie and Haruto had been walking on a dirt road after the train dropped them off.

"Hey Lex... Mind telling me why you were in Acalypha 10 years ago?" Natsu asked, his hands resting behind his head.

"Um... That story is for another time Natsu." Lucy didn't feel comfortable talking about her past to him yet, she needed time.

"Auntie Lexi! What's the man's name?" Haruto looked up at her.

 _They're both just as curious and full of questions as each other..._

"His name is Dustin but he lets me call him Dusty."

Upon seeing the barn in which she hid in so long ago, with a baby Haruto might she add, Lucy's face lit up. She saw a man with a horse, ploughing an area of soil not too far away. Tears sprung up in her eyes as she started running towards him, screaming his name and leaving the rest of her friends behind.

"DUSTY!" Tripping over her feet a few times, she finally made it into his warm arms. In fact, he was actually sobbing too.

"Lexi dear... I see you have kept your promise as you have finally come back." They took a step away at each other, Dusty examining her face. "My, my Lexi. You have grown up to be such a mature young lady. I'm proud of you."

Not far in the distance, he noticed the three people walking towards them.

"I've brought along some people for you."

"That boy... is that Haruto?" Dusty put his hands to his mouth. "He has grown so much."

"In fact, that is him. I dropped him off at a house in Magnolia after I left here. 9 years later, I found a house and then I realise Haruto is my next door neighbour! They don't know who I am yet... I'm sorry to ask you for so much but could you keep my identity a secret?"

"Of course Lexi. Haruto seems like he is in good hands with that man. Now, who's the young..." Dusty's eyes widened once he focused onto Marnie. "... lady..."

"I see you've already realised." Lucy smiled.

"Thank you for bringing her back to me... thank you."

The man dropped the horse's reins and ran to Marnie, limping along the way.

"Marnie!" He called out to her, tears streaming down his face.

"P-p-papa?" She stopped in her tracks, feeling her body going numb.

Dusty stopped a few feet in front of her, smiling warmly. "Welcome home."

* * *

"That was so touching..." Lucy finished wiping her tears as they walked away from the small farm. "I'm gonna miss them..."

"Don't worry Auntie Lexi! We'll come back to visit."

"I hope so."

"Alright! Where to next, Lex?"

"Back home I guess. Aren't you and your friends throwing some kind of party? What is it for anyway?" Lucy asked.

"Oh right! I never told you. Well today is actually the day when Haruto arrived on my doorstep so we kind of made it his birthday. Isn't that right?" Natsu ruffled the young boy's hair.

 _Ok... act dumb Lucy._

"Oh really? What do you mean on your doorstep? Oh and happy birthday little one..."

Haruto smiled up at her, making her heart explode.

"Oh well maybe I'll tell you the story tonight. It's pretty interesting actually and we usually have a story time kind of thing with a theme. Last year was: what is your most embarrassing story? And generic stuff like that. It's kind of like a truth or truth. Sometimes, we even throw in dares."

"Oh... ok cool. Well I look forward to it."

"You're helping me set up the party of course! Everyone else bailed out on helping so I guess it's just us!" Natsu beamed brightly.

"Of course it is..."

* * *

It was late at night and almost everyone had already gone home, except Lucy, Natsu and Lisanna (Haruto had already gone to bed). The 'story time' theme this year was legends and conspiracy theories which got Lisanna quite worked up.

At the moment, the three of them were just sitting around on the ground, talking about anything really.

"Natsu! I almost forgot! You haven't told me about Haruto's story."

"Oh right! Well today 9 years ago, or was it 10, Lisanna was over and she was playing games with me when someone knocked on my door. I went to go get it and saw nobody and closed the door since I didn't see anything. Then, someone rang the doorbell again and I got really angry because I didn't want to lose the next round. I didn't see anything until Lisanna told me to look down. That's when I saw Haruto. There was a note and of course, I read it. I actually still have it somewhere in this house... it... it was horrible... she was abused and beaten by her father and she forced her into an arranged marriage... She signed her name with 'L' so I'm not even sure what to get from that... it could be anyone! I mean, both Lisanna and your name starts with L so what the heck?! I did the most logical thing I could think of and ran out into the street. The people in the movies are all idiots 'cause they just walk inside and I didn't want to spend my life filled with guilt, thinking that I couldn't do anything. So I chased her down the street in broad daylight. It was hard because people were everywhere but I caught up to her and grabbed her wrist." Natsu closed his eyes like he was remembering the day. "She spun around and looked into my soul. I will never forget what she looked like. She had beautiful golden blonde hair and deep brown eyes. And then, she was gone. Well she elbowed me in the face and broke my nose so that was a weird day." Natsu opened his eyes again and looked at Lucy, in which she turned away, hiding her eyes.

 _Oh crap... I messed up that day didn't I? Stupid Lucy... stupid!_

"Wow... that must've been tough. For her and for you. How did you adopt Haruto though? Aren't you like his legal father now or something?"

"Well yeah... Social services came to take Haruto to an orphanage but that poor girl gave me the responsibility. There were two guys and I beat one of the up, Lisanna stopped me from killing the other one. It's all good now I guess."

Lucy laughed. She couldn't help it.

After half an hour of more talking Lucy was really curious about something.

"Hey Lisanna, I saw how excited you got when story time came along. What was that all about?" Lucy pondered.

"Well I'm really into the legends and the conspiracy side of stuff and I find it really cool! I had a hard time picking my story since I have so many good ones up my sleeve..." Lisanna looked up at the ceiling, stars in her eyes.

"Well since you already told us about 'The Legend of the Parallel Universe: Edolas', do you have another favourite?" Lucy asked, genuinely curious.

"Actually, now that you say it, I have this one that comes into mind."

"Alright! Don't leave us hanging! Tell us!" Natsu looked at her like a puppy.

Lisanna laughed. "Ok, ok... Have you guys heard of the Heartfilia legend?"

Lucy tensed up. _What is she talking about? There's a legend about my family? ACT DUMB LUCY! ACT DUMB_

"No I haven't. I've heard of the family but not about the legend." She cautiously answered.

"Oh well you're in for a treat. It's quite mysterious. Legend says that the Heartfilia family had a daughter."

"Really? I thought it was only an old dude that owned the riches..." Natsu commented; Lucy tried to look surprised too but failed miserably.

"That's what everyone thought too but rumours began to fly around. The wealthy families of course knew the truth but the rest of us were left in the dark. Anyways, no one knows if it's true because no one has ever heard of her or saw her but the beautiful Layla Heartfilia apparently gave birth to a baby girl a few years before she passed away. People claim that she had beautiful blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes just like her mother, but no one can confirm because it was so long ago. Some even say, her name was Lucinda or Leslie or something rather but then again, no one has heard from her or her family in around a decade.

"A name that starts with an L... and blonde hair and brown eyes...? And the last time anyone has heard anything was 10 years ago? The same age as Haruto... I see a pattern here..." Natsu furrowed his eyebrows.

 _Oh crap, oh crap! I have got to do something!_

"The legend also says, that she got engaged at the age of 17 and became pregnant soon after..."

Natsu's eyes went wide as he thought back to the note that was left with Haruto.

"How do you know if that is true?" Lucy quickly asked.

"I don't know; it is a legend after all. But it ends with the girl running away from her wealthy life. No one knows what happened to her and the baby. And what's even weirder, is that 8 years ago, a year after the rumours had stopped, the Heartfilia estate went bankrupt."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh creepy! Everything must be linked!" Natsu declared.

"Um yeah... creepy. It's probably not true though. Rumours and stuff. I mean, if it was true, if she was the daughter of the 'oh-so-famous' Jude Heartfilia, then how did they keep her so secret for so long? From what it sounds like, no one knew about her till she got married."

"It doesn't matter though. All these stories probably aren't true anyway. I just read this stuff from magazines but you know the media."

"Yeah..." Lucy awkwardly laughed, relief washing over her. She looked over at Natsu as she saw he was in deep thought. Lucy unconsciously began playing with her hair as she looked down at it, checking to see if it was still brown. "Hey Natsu... what's the matter?"

"Uh nothing! I was just thinking that maybe Haruto's mother was the Heartfilia's daughter but that's impossible and there's no way that could be true so never mind." Natsu stood up and excused himself.

 _I'm so thankful that Natsu is so dense. That was close... that was way too close..._

* * *

 **Next chappie in 2 days!**


	12. Chapter 12

**This chapter is gonna be a little dramatic... ok a lot dramatic (Engrish? What are you talking about?) But hopefully you guys will like the chapter nonetheless. School is getting hectic but I'll promise to still post! But I'm so sorry that this update is later than usual. For some of you, this is still 2 days, but for others, this is 3 days. I'm so sorry! I was studying late and totally forgot! Anyways...** **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer - I don't own Fairy Tail at all!**

* * *

Several months go by and Natsu confronts Lucy over an important matter.

"Hey Lex! Wait up will ya?" Natsu ran after Lucy who had just walked out of her house, heading to the markets.

"Oh, hey Natsu. Wanna come to the markets with me?"

"Sure! But I need your help with something important."

"Alright, fire away." Lucy started walking again, Natsu beside her.

He breathed in and out deeply as he watched his surroundings, taking in the morning air. It seemed weird to him but he had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, like something bad was going to happen later on. He quickly shrugged the feeling off and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Well... I was thinking about proposing to Lisanna..."

"Really?! That's a great idea! Details! Now!" Lucy demanded.

Natsu placed his hand over Lucy's mouth, telling her to be quiet. "Don't be so rowdy Lex! I don't want to attract attention!"

"Well attracting people's attention is your specialty so you can't complain! It's just the pot calling the kettle black!"

"What weird things are you talking about now Lex? A pot? A kettle? Are you cooking or something?" Natsu scratched his head.

Lucy deadpanned. "Never mind Natsu. Now, tell me the details about you and Lisanna already!"

"Oh right. So we've been going out for 7 years now... we have been friends for like 15 years or something, no clue, but ever since Haruto has come into our lives, he has brought us closer and I had the courage to ask her out. After 7 years, I think I want to marry her. She's my life and I don't know what I would do without her. Will you help me Lexi?" Natsu looked into her eyes intently, practically begging.

"Of course Natsu! I'm so happy! I HAVE AN IDEA! I'LL HELP YOU CHOOSE THE RING!" Lucy squealed, jumping onto him.

* * *

Natsu walked into his house, calling out to Haruto and Lisanna, since she was babysitting again.

"Haruto! Lisanna! I'm home!" Natsu dropped his keys onto the table as he walked into the kitchen, grabbing food out of the fridge.

"Natsu! Just the person I needed to talk to..." Lisanna walked into the kitchen after him, plopping into one of the seats at the dinner table as she let out a sigh.

"Wheoree's Hoarooto...?" Natsu asked through a mouth full of food.

"I dropped him off at Macao's place so he can hang out with Romeo and Wendy..." The white-haired girl sighed.

"What's the matter? You've been sighing a lot." The pink-haired male finally stopped eating and sat in the chair opposite to her.

"There's an important matter we need to discuss Natsu." She looked up at him seriously.

"Really? I need to tell you something too!" The male shuffled around excitedly, obviously not reading the situation.

"Oh... well do you mind if I go first?"

"Go ahead!"

"Natsu... I'm sorry... but... I don't have feelings for you anymore..."

* * *

Lucy stood at the door, frozen in her place. Quietly, she closed the front door and walked back to her house.

She was going to go give Natsu the ring they had bought for Lisanna since, of course, he forgot it in one of her shopping bags. Lucy opened her door, placed the small box onto the table and slumped onto the couch.

" _Natsu... I'm sorry... but... I don't have feelings for you anymore..."_

She didn't know what to do. She couldn't even imagine what Natsu was going through right now. Slowly, the brunette trudged up her stairs and dragged her feet into her room, crawling into bed.

* * *

 _Uggghhhhhh what time is it...?_

Lucy rubbed her eyes groggily and felt weight around her waist. Looking up she saw her window was open and then instantly knew it was Natsu. She shrugged his arm off, careful not to wake him up and got out of bed. Natsu rolled over and stirred, groaning along the way.

Lucy looked down at him with sorrow written all over both of their faces. She noticed her pillow was damp and his cheeks were stained with dry tears. She rubbed his shoulder gently.

"Ne Natsu... Wake up..."

Even though letting him sleep would be better, Lucy felt that talking about it would help him. It would mean he didn't need to bottle it in.

"Lexi... I... I..." Natsu still hadn't opened his eyes but tears were already streaming across his face, falling carelessly all over her already wet pillow.

"Natsu... shhh..."

Natsu sat up and Lucy hugged him almost instantly. He melted into the hug as he sobbed into her hair.

"Lisanna... I... I don't understand... Why... why would she lie to me?! WHY?!" Natsu cried harder as he thought about it all over again.

"Natsu... don't bottle it in. Tell me what happened. Please. I want to help..." Lucy put space between them as she looked into his bloodshot eyes.

"But Lexi... I... She... she's been cheating on me... for 2 years now..."

Natsu started trembling again and his shoulders shook violently. Lucy embraced him and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Natsu... it's going to be ok now... I'm here for you. All of your friends are. Erza, Jellal, Levy, Gajeel, Juvia and even Gray is. I'm not accustomed to comforting people as no one was there for me, but all I can do is be here with you. Do you understand what I'm saying...?" Lucy hadn't realised but she had been crying as well.

"Lexi... tell me something... I need to know... I can tell you've been lying to all of us this whole time. Just tell me... I need to hear it..." Natsu felt the lump in his throat once more.

 _Sigh... I guess my cover has been blown... everyone always finds out the truth, one way or another…_

"I have been Natsu... but I have my reasons... I'm not proud of my past and what I've been through so I've hid it. When the time is right, I will tell you everything..." Lucy reassured as she played with his hair some more.

"You can tell me when you feel comfortable but... your name isn't Lexi is it? You barely ever respond to it... Since I know it isn't, let's start over. My life has been shit and it's all been a lie. So..." Natsu wiped his tears as much as he could and he put on his best toothy grin. "Hey there, my name's Natsu. What's yours?" He stuck out his hand.

Lucy looked down at it and felt her heart warm up. "I'm Lucy." Her real name rolled off her tongue and she smiled at it.

"Luigi?"

"It's Lucy!" She smacked him upside the head. "Thanks for ruining a touching moment!"

"I like your name... Why did you ever change it?"

"My... my past... Don't tell anyone ok?" Lucy began to panic.

"Of course not. I can keep your secret, don't worry about it."

"Thank you Natsu..." She sighed in relief. Lucy was now happy that she could cheer him up but she knew his happiness wouldn't last very long. Knowing him, even though he would never admit it, she knew he would go home and cry himself to sleep some more.

"No... Thank you for being there for me Luce... I don't know what I would do without you." Natsu grinned.

 _No Natsu... you don't understand how much you helped me... 10 years ago..._

* * *

 **The next chapter will come out on Friday!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys! Got 3 tests coming up next week and I'm so stressed... but i can't help but watch youtube and anime... please somebody help me get out of this hole called procrastination! ARGHHH I need to study but I can't! Anyways, gettin off topic here. This chapter is a bit like a filler but I guess it has a little bit of character development.**

 **Before I start the chapter, I just would like to thank a few people (well more than a few) for favouriting and following and reviewing!**

 **KrispiKreme**

 **Deni . Marie31 (sorry I had to put a space on either side of the dot because the site thinks that your username is a link and it automatically erases it... sorry!)**

 **SilentMockingjay**

 **ManOfManyTales**

 **Julius Night**

 **ashfrenzy**

 **winter snow14**

 **lena babyyyyy**

 **freki02**

 **Lucydaisukinatsu**

 **hemmecstasy**

 **bow-and-arrow-lover**

 **Mystic Story Wolf**

 **JcL107**

 **Dragondancer81**

 **DV-chan**

 **Delia365**

 **LazyConfectioner**

 **Reaganbrie**

 **wArm sUmmEr**

 **Moonlightgreen50**

 **ChaosDragon25**

 **Nightcore's Lover**

 **jokergirl101t**

 **MAIDENCHINA23**

 **Shadowranger5225**

 **MissNerdGirl**

 **Zero177**

 **kaileykai**

 **02lw17**

 **VvnDaLu**

 **mrose3768**

 **Crystal-breezy**

 **Kyoufu**

 **mollybvc**

 **Cleothenerd**

 **FireWolf2012**

 **The Age of Awesomeness**

 **LucyHarem . 1** **(sorry I had to put a space on either side of the dot because the site thinks that your username is a link and it automatically erases it... sorry!)**

 **Dragondancer81**

 **MyFictionalFantasy**

 **GingerNinjaK**

 **cassie . huang2002** **(sorry I had to put a space on either side of the dot because the site thinks that your username is a link and it automatically erases it... sorry!)**

 **Infernoking13**

 **John5207**

 **Starry . Dreamer . kitten** **(sorry I had to put a space on either side of the dot because the site thinks that your username is a link and it automatically erases it... sorry!)**

 **EmpressTurtleChan**

 **Lucy Goddess of the Stars**

 **ellie883**

 **XxthespellboundangelxX**

 **Rippofubdertim**

 **IxiaLiliana**

 **Red-Velvet-Erza**

 **artisofthemind**

 **Paige'slibrary**

 **TraitorousFreshman15**

 **Uchida Akira**

 **OleanderBleedingHeart**

 **Fairyofthenorthwest**

 **Monkeyy**

 **Mr . Dragonman** **Starry . Dreamer . kitten** **(sorry I had to put a space on either side of the dot because the site thinks that your username is a link and it automatically erases it... sorry!)**

 **blue-eyegirl18**

 **firequeen101**

 **OliTassell**

 **CyanMew**

 **klr14**

 **karmakuntheassassin101**

 **FireFreedom**

 **WHOA THAT WAS A LOT OF PEOPLE... THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE! I LOVE YOU GUYS! I'M SO SURPRISED OMG...**

 **If I have forgotten any of you by accident, please send me a hey and tell me! I am only human and sorting through my emails (a lot of emails...) are a little hectic. So again, if I did leave any of you out, it's probably because I didn't get a notification in my emails... so I am so, sorry. Just leave a review or PM me for next time!**

 **Well...** **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer - I do not own Fairy Tail so I guess... don't copyright me?**

* * *

After several weeks of Natsu breaking down and Lucy comforting him, they had become much closer. Haruto had stayed over at Romeo's house most of that time as Natsu didn't feel the need to show weakness around his son.

"NATSU! GET OUT OF MY BED FOR GOD'S SAKE!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Luceeeeee... be quiet... I was having a good dream..."

"Get up! I'm going to work today so you're going to be at home by yourself. The food is in the fridge so don't forget to warm it up in the microwave." Lucy sat on the ground and put on her boots. She got up and opened the door. "Bye Natsu!" She called out before walked out.

"Wait... bye...? EH?! LUCE?!" Natsu opened his eyes and looked around frantically. Quickly, he put on his shirt and jumped out the window, startling Lucy in her tracks.

"WHAT THE FUCK NATSU?!" Lucy shrieked.

"What? I wanted to come along!"

"WHY?! I'M GOING TO WORK! That's not a very fun place for you Natsu... why would you want to come?"

"Because he likes you Lu-chan..." Levy walked by her casually as she laughed.

"L-L-Levy-chan?!"

"Of course I like Luce... Why wouldn't I?"

"N-N-Natsu! I don't like him in **that** way!" Lucy looked at Levy frantically.

"What other way is there? Do you not like me Luce...?" Natsu pouted.

"No! Natsu! Of course I do! As a friend! We're best friends!" Lucy began to feel frustrated.

"That's what I was saying... We are such good friends that Luce let's me sleep in her bed with her!" Natsu declared.

"Don't go saying it like that Natsu!" Lucy screeched.

"How else am I suppose to say it? I've slept with you?"

"I bet you have..." Levy squealed as Lucy felt her face go red.

"What? What's happening? Why is no one telling me?!"

Lucy sobbed to herself as Levy giggled like a lunatic.

* * *

Whenever Natsu was out at work and she wasn't, or when he went out for a run or just overall when he left Haruto alone, Natsu would ask Lucy to take care of his son. At first, she was hesitant because she didn't want to get close to the little one just in case her father came back. But after much begging and protesting, she reluctantly agreed.

However, whenever Lucy comes home after taking care of Haruto, she would cry and cry for hours. Who wouldn't? She missed 10 years of his life and trying to make up for it is useless.

After taking care of Haruto, Lucy walked back to her house, rubbing her shivering arms. She knew what was to come. Her anxiety was back. Lucy had thought she had gotten over it but it was always there, hiding behind her happiness.

Lucy trudged through her door, dropping her keys as she felt her knees weaken. Finally making into her bedroom, Lucy let her knees buckle as she collapsed into a crying mess. Each occasion she spent an extended amount of time with Haruto, her anxiety would only get worse. She learnt to hide it from others but when she was by herself, nothing stopped her from breaking down.

Negative thoughts whirled all around her head as she cried.

 _What if Haruto blames her for abandoning him? What if he doesn't want me as his mother? What if he wanted Lisanna? What if I'm not good enough? What if my father came back? What if he takes me away? What if he takes Haruto away? What if all my friends found out about my past and family? What if everyone found out I was lying to them? Would they hate me? Would they be disgusted? Would they leave me all alone again? What if...?_

"Hey Luc-" Natsu was crouching on her window, shook written on his face.

He quickly jumped onto her bed and then onto the floor, rushing to her side. Natsu smashed his body against hers, hugging her as tightly as humanly possible.

"Lucy... Hey... What's the matter...?" He cooed.

"N-N-N-Natsu... I'm sorry... I'm sorry for everything... Go back to... to... to H-H-H-Haruto..." Lucy stammered and blubbered.

"Don't worry about Haruto, Erza and the boys are over. I was going to invite you over but..." Natsu shook his head and furrowed his eyebrows. "Why are you sorry Luce?"

"I'm sorry for everything... I... I'm just going to hurt everyone... it doesn't matter who I meet... I always end up hurting them... every... single... one..." She trembled under his protective arms as she sobbed.

"That's not true Lucy. Look at me, I'm still here aren't I?"

"No... After you find out who I really am, you're going to wish I was never a part of your life..." Lucy tried pushing him away but to no avail, he stood strong, gripping her like she was dying.

"What do you mean: 'who I really am?' Lucy, who you were in the past doesn't matter because who you are now, is who I became friends with, who I trusted. If you're telling me this isn't you, I call bullshit." Natsu shook her shoulders as she looked at him with wide eyes.

"No... this... this is me. If anything, in the past, I had to fake who I was but for once... whenever I'm around you, I'm allowed to be myself..."

"See? If you are yourself, then what's wrong? You're free from your past!" He raised his voice as it cracked a little.

"B-b-b-but... Natsu... This **is** me but... I'm also someone else! I can't... I can't tell you... I just can't bring myself to!" Lucy cried.

"Luce... It's ok. You can tell me everything when the time is right, when you feel comfortable. I might not be able to directly relate to your situation, but I can understand to some extent. Lucy, I'm here for you, like you were for me." Natsu looked into her eyes with great intensity.

"I'm so sorry Natsu... I'm so, so, sorry..." Lucy fell back into his arms and sobbed some more.

"It's ok Luce... Just go to sleep. Shhhh..."

* * *

Lucy moved around in her bed, feeling constricted. She sighed.

"Natsu...? Come on... Let me go..." Lucy tried wriggling out of his grasp but quickly gave up.

 _How did I even get into bed...?_

"Luce... Mmmm..." Natsu snuggled closer to her, nuzzling his nose into the crook of her neck which made her shiver.

"Natsu! Wake up!"

"Lucy... don't cry... I'm here..." The pink-haired male mumbled as drool spilled from his mouth.

"Natsu...?" Lucy sighed and shook her head in disbelief.

Several hours of twiddling her thumbs later, Natsu finally woke up, wiping his saliva.

"Lucy? Why didn't you wake me up...?" Natsu rubbed his eyes and yawned.

The brunette sat up, stretched and cracked her neck and of course, not forgetting to glare at her friend.

"Well maybe you shouldn't hold me so tightly!" She scolded.

"I don't want to lose- Never mind..." Pouting, he stood up and stretched as well, making a baby dinosaur noise.

Lucy laughed, tears in the corners of her eyes.

"You're so delirious Luce..." Natsu shook his head.

"Well you're a moron!" Lucy stuck out her tongue and ran away, knowing he would chase her.

 _I can always count on Natsu to cheer me up... what an idiot..._

* * *

 **Hope you guys liked the chapter! A lot of stuff happens in chapter 14 and I cant wait... Stay tuned!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey! There's really nothing I need to say so I'll just get on with the chapter.** **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer - I don't own Fairy Tail but this story line, however, is mine!**

* * *

Lucy knocked on Natsu's door, waiting impatiently. Shaking her leg as she leaned on the wall, Lucy continuously looked behind her, fear stamped on her face. As soon as the door swung open, Lucy dived into the house, smashing the door close. She bent over as she tried catching her breath.

"Auntie? Are you ok?" Haruto looked at her with wide eyes.

"Um... H-H-H-Haruto...? Where's Natsu?" Lucy stood up straight, her body shaking.

"He's in the games room. I'll go get him." Haruto ran off. "DAD! COME HERE! AUNTIE IS KIND OF FREAKING OUT!"

In a flash, Natsu was in front of her, worry written on his face.

"Luce? What's the matter? What happened?" He looked her up and down.

"N-N-N-Natsu... there... there was someone..." Lucy looked at the door in fear.

"Where are they and who are they?"

"I don't know who they are but... I... I was being followed... They were running faster and faster when I quickened my pace and I took random turns to see if they were actually following me and they were..."

"When did you first notice it?"

"I don't know... I was coming home from the library after work and I had the feeling from the start but didn't think much of it. Then I noticed... Natsu... I'm scared..." Lucy trembled.

"Luce... It's ok." Natsu turned his head to look at his son. "Haruto, go call Gray, Levy and Erza for me." The boy ran off as fast as he could.

"W-w-what do I do...?"

"How far away was he when you last looked?" Natsu held her hand tightly, trying to calm her down and get answers at the same time.

"Uh... he was pretty fucking close. I'd say maybe only a few meters. It was definitely a 'he' because as he reached out to grab me before I made it inside, I saw his hand, it looked so muscular and scary. He was hiding behind the pillar and reached out to me..." Lucy shuddered.

"What did he look like?"

Before Lucy could answer, there was a frantic knock at the door making the two jump out of their skin. Lucy stepped back a little, staring at it.

"Don't worry Luce, I got this." Natsu let go of her hand and cautiously walked over.

Looking through the peep hole, he saw a lady near the same age as him standing there, her eyes darting around. He opened the door and she darted in, slamming it behind her, much like what Lucy had done.

"Lexi!" The girl began to tear up.

Lucy started crying as well, much to Natsu's confusion. "Yukino!" Lucy jumped onto her, squeezing her tightly. "You can call me Lucy now, it's ok. He knows my name."

"Lucy... When were you going to visit me? It's been over 10 years!"

"I'm sorry. I was travelling around Fiore because I wasn't sure if it was safe yet. I had to miss visiting Crocus since it's the biggest city. I'm sorry Yukino, please forgive me."

"It's ok, don't worry about it. But... where's-"

Lucy cupped her hand over Yukino's mouth, interrupting her mid sentence. She shook her head and the white-haired girl nodded.

"Um... Luce? Mind telling me what just happened?"

"Oh! Sorry Natsu. This here is my friend, slash sister, Yukino. She helped me greatly in the past."

"Well nice to meet you!" Natsu flashed his toothy grin at her and Yukino bowed. "Wait... to think about it, why did you rush in too?"

"And how did you know I was here?" Lucy asked.

"I had been assigned a job in Magnolia and I remembered you wanted to go here so I thought I would ask around and check my luck. I was on my way to the library since I remembered how much you liked reading, when I saw you walking extremely fast. I noticed some robed guy following you and instantly decided to follow him. You ended up running into this house and I continued to follow him and it was weird. It seemed like I'd seen him before but I couldn't be sure. I persisted and Lucy... I think you know who I saw... He was talking to him." Yukino rested her hand on her shaking shoulder.

"It can't be... He disappeared years ago. Why would he suddenly reappear?" Lucy shook her head as if she couldn't believe a word Yukino said.

"I don't know... he looked different though and I couldn't see the man that was following you."

"I have an idea on who it might be..."

"Are you guys going to fill me in or what?" Natsu looked at them expectantly.

"I'm sorry Natsu. I'll tell you everything tonight."

"Everything?"

"Everything... I think it's about time you know."

* * *

Later that night, Lucy and Natsu were sitting in the games room, finishing up a round of Mario. Haruto had stayed over at a friend's place for the night as Natsu wanted to scout out Lucy's past, not to be nosey of course, but so he could help.

"Hey Luce... If you feel ready, I need to know what's going on." Natsu dropped his controller and looked at her seriously.

She sighed and reluctantly turned to look at him. "Where do I even start?"

"From the beginning."

"Well... If I'm going to tell you everything, please, I beg you, please don't hate me and please understand why I had to do the things I did." Lucy already felt like she was going to regret this decision.

"I promise I won't. I will still be there for you, to the very end."

"Ok... well let's start from the beginning then. Like everyone else, I was born... but I was born into the Heartfilia family." Lucy paused as she wanted to see Natsu's reaction which in fact would be anybody's reaction to hearing such news.

"Wait... wait... please hold. My brain is still processing this information..." Natsu rubbed his temples and then like a light bulb, it clicked. "You mean to tell me that you are **the** daughter of the Heartfilia family?! Like in the legend?! I thought it was fake! Like the mysterious one that ran away right?!" He pointed at her like she had killed someone.

"Yes..." She held her head low.

"What happened to your hair?! I thought it was supposed to be blonde!"

"Well I've been dying it for years now and to be honest, I've started to damage it so much I've lost a lot of my pretty hair."

"So to clarify, you're **the** Heartfilia daughter...?"

Lucy nodded. "Pretty much."

Natsu sat back up straight. "Wow. I never knew. Sorry about my shouting, I was being insensitive. Go on with your story." The male chewed on the inside of his cheek.

"It's ok Natsu, really. It was a natural reaction and to be honest, I expected a bigger explosion." She giggled.

"Yeah but I don't want to be a dick. Well besides from you were born, what's the rest of the story?"

"I had a great life and it was so much fun up until I was 7. My mother and I were the best of friends and we spent so much time together. When my father wasn't working, he would sometimes come play with us too but he was always so busy. When I was 6 my mother was diagnosed with cancer. While she was bed-ridden, I didn't get to see much of her. My father said that she didn't want to be disturbed and that she needed rest. I basically only saw her once a week to once a month. It was... horrible. Then, just like that, she was gone. My life crashed down and I was only 7."

"Luce... I... I'm sorry. Look, I don't know if it makes you feel any better, but I've been an orphan from the age of 8... My parents abandoned me and a kind man brought me in... then... he vanished too. So really, I understand what it's like to feel alone." Natsu rested his hand on her shoulder.

She nodded and took a deep breath in. "After that, my father changed but not for the better. Every night he would... he would beat me. He also became an alcoholic so it made the beatings worse. I couldn't even fight back either. I came to the conclusion that not only was I broken, but it ruined him even more and he felt the need to take the sadness out on me and drown it out with alcohol. It hurt... It hurt so badly... From ages 8 to 17, he would just beat me till he was satisfied. Sometimes, it would be for hours on end. No mercy. I still even have scars." Lucy ran her hand over the left side of her abdomen.

"Lucy! This is... this is serious! What a fucking horrible person! What kind of person would do such a thing?! Does he not have any guilt or shame or a heart at least?!" Natsu stood up and threw his hands into the air.

"Natsu... it's ok..."

"It's not ok! The media portrays the wealthy as happy and kind, giving money to charity and good causes and being professional and smart! But if this is what happens behind the scenes, I want none of it! And you shouldn't either!" He exclaimed, panting hard after his little rant.

"But Natsu! That's the problem... I didn't choose to be a part of any of it! What I want isn't money, pretty dresses, or fortune forced upon me. I am **not** _Lucky_ _Lucy_ of _Heartfilia_ anymore! I want people to like me and trust the real me, just Lucy... All I wanted was people to love me for me and to have real friends, not money... I didn't choose that life..." Lucy started bawling as she expressed how she felt which has been held in for as long as she could remember. "A flower can't choose the place where it blooms, and a child can't choose the parents she's born to. It isn't fair... I don't want to be forced into a life I don't want!" She wiped her tears as she looked into Natsu's eyes. "My mother told me that there's nothing fortunate about having your fate decided for you. You have to grab your own happiness."

"Luce... I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean it to come out like that. I shouldn't have said anything."

"No Natsu... I'm sorry you had to see me like this. I never wanted anyone to see me so weak." Lucy wiped the rest of her tears with the back of her hand and Natsu helped out with his thumb as he smiled sweetly at her.

"Lucy... People who still think you're at your best when they see you at your worst are the ones worth keeping. And Luce, I'm here to stay. It seems like you've held these feelings in for a long time so please, continue. Bottling anything up can't be good for you, something you told me."

"Natsu... when did you get so wise?" She giggled.

"Hey! I'm trying to help you here!"

"I'm sorry... well continuing with my life story... I'm going to do a time skip and this is to around 11-10 years ago. I was 17 and my father said I needed to marry some dude so that the Heartfilia estate could get more money and grow. He also said I had to have a son! I mean, did he **not** take science or sex education in school 'cause I don't think that's how pregnancy works. Anyways, I met the dude and he's actually pretty nice but that doesn't mean I wanted to sleep with him! In the end... they shoved us in a room together with one bed and said we had to sleep on the same bed. We were smarter than that though. We alternated on one of us sleeping on the bed and the other sleeping on the couch. It was simple really. And then, when I thought I had the upper hand, my father announced to the wealthy families and partners and stuff that I was pregnant when I wasn't! So he said that if I wasn't pregnant by the end of the month, then everyone would be questioning me and I would've been in a real pickle..."

"So that means... you... and him... at 17?! What the fuck...?" Natsu shook his head.

"Well yeah. And then, I ran away. By that time, I didn't know if I was pregnant or not but I didn't give a crap. I left. Long story short, I ran away and my father sent agents after me. I found out that I was in fact pregnant and before I knew it, I had given birth to a baby boy... Since I was still running away, it was hard to keep my little one safe and it was too inconvenient. I decided to give him up. An orphanage wasn't an idea I liked because I wouldn't know where he ended up so I did a little scouting and... around 10 years ago..." Lucy breathed in and out deeply, looking at Natsu.

"10 years ago...?"

"10 years ago I dropped my baby boy on your doorstep and promised I would come back in person to thank you..."

Natsu looked at her as he felt a lump in his throat. "I've finally found you..."

* * *

 **Hehehehe. Natsu finally knows! Well, see you in 2 days!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys! Exams and assessment is piling up and I'm suffering the consequences of procrastinating... Please someone help me... I missed out on so much work and I actually don't understand anything. Why do I do this to myself? But then again, I did just start a new anime so I guess I'm digging my own grave... Oh well, I'll just have to suffer the consequences. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer - Fairy Tail is not owned by me, obviously.**

* * *

"Found me...? What do you mean?" Lucy furrowed her brows.

"For 8 years I searched for you. No one knew it though and I just told people I was going on a business trip or something like that... I wanted to- no... I needed to find you. When I grabbed onto your wrist, I didn't know what happened. I felt numb and I couldn't move even though I wanted to help you so badly... I made sure that I remembered every feature of your face and when I first saw you as Lexi, I thought you looked so familiar. It didn't click because I was so dumb to think people would still look the same even after 10 years... I can't believe I didn't recognise you!"

"Natsu... it would've been so hard to explain if you had found out. You would've gotten angry and it wouldn't be what it was now since we had only just met. Everything happens for a reason and I'm happy that it turned out like this." She smiled at the male warmly, reassuring that everything was going to be ok.

"You always know the right thing to say Lucy... What would I do without you?"

"Well probably play games 24/7 is my best guess."

They both laughed as Lucy felt relieved that he wasn't angry.

"I have a question for you though, well two actually. One, when do you think you're going to tell Haruto the truth and two, who was that robed dude that followed you?" Natsu turned serious.

"Well I don't know when I should tell Haruto... on one hand, he'll finally be able to grow up with a mother and have the things I never had but on the other hand, he would hate me... he would blame me for abandoning him and he wouldn't want me as a mother at all... I... I just can't deal with that since I've missed 10 years of his life..." Lucy sighed as she juggled her choices.

"Is that why you were you crying the other week? When I found you bawling? I'm sorry I made you take care of Haruto like that... I thought you didn't want to do it because you weren't comfortable with children or something but I guess I was miles off..." Natsu rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it Natsu... I didn't expect you to know about everything at that time. Natsu... what if I told you that I lov-" Lucy was interrupted by loud and fast knocks at the door, sounding very impatient. Lucy sighed in defeat.

 _Godammit._

Natsu got up from his seat. "I'll go get that, give me a second." He walked over to the door and opened it to be greeted with a robed man. "You..." He looked at the man as his eyebrows furrowed, not understanding what was happening.

"Natsu! What's taking you so long!" Lucy appeared behind Natsu and quickly froze in her place.

The robed man lifted up his head, took off his hood and smiled at Lucy.

"Hello Lucy. It's been a long time and I have a lot to tell you..."

"S-S-S-Sting...?" Her eyes grew wide as she unconsciously grabbed hold of Natsu's arm.

"Luce...? What's the matter? Who is he?"

"He... he was the guy that was following me... and he was my fiancé..." She looked Sting up and down, almost like she thought it was a dream, or maybe a nightmare.

"Well that's a great welcome." The blond male laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Wait... you mean to tell me... that... that... that... he's..." Natsu looked at Lucy, tears almost surfacing. "That he's the real father..." He said under his breath.

Lucy nodded. "How did you find me? Where's Jude? I know he sent you. Why else would you be here?!

"Lucy! Lucy... calm down. Just let me in and I'll explain everything. You're probably not going to believe me but I assure you that I only tell the truth." Sting looked into her eyes. "I know you trusted me 10 years ago, what's different now?"

"Everything is different. I ran away for a reason. If you bring me back to that monster, I will never forgive you."

"I know you won't, that's why I'm here to help you." Sting looked behind him quickly, checking something before turning back.

"Help... me? Why do I need help?"

"Luce... we should let him in. He's telling the truth." Natsu gave him a long hard look before stepping out of the way.

Sting walked into the house and made his way to the living room, standing there like a lost puppy.

"Sting... you can sit down. This isn't like the life I used to live. Make yourself at home." Lucy sat down, playing with the hem of her blouse.

The blonde male watched her and then followed suit, sitting down gingerly as Natsu stared at the two in confusion.

They just sat there, in awkward silence.

"Well... uhh..." Natsu puffed up his cheeks and smiled.

"Sting... Are you going to talk or should I kick you out?" She turned serious which Natsu was frightened of.

"I have a question. Did... did you ever get pregnant? You never told me before you up and left."

"I won't tell you until you tell me why you're here and... where Jude is."

"Ok... ok... I'm going to be completely honest with you here. A couple years after you left, Jude had no one to be heir to the company and my mother didn't want to be his business partner because she didn't benefit from it. Around 2 months ago, he went to me and bribed me. He said that I needed to find you and bring you home and if I didn't, he would kill my mother."

"Oh! So that's why you're here... I knew it. Get! Out!" Lucy stood up and Natsu was quickly at her side.

"No! NO! I'm not finished yet! Calm down Lucy. You know I would never bring you back if you didn't want to go."

"So... you're just let your mother get killed...?" Natsu tilted his head.

"No... I don't want that either. I agreed that I would find you but I never said I would bring you back. He always makes me report to him and I just say I haven't found you yet. Today when I chased you, I wanted to tell you that Jude was nearly on my case and he was in Magnolia. Someone that doesn't want you to know who they are, yet, helped me. I don't want to hurt you Lucy, I want to protect you."

"Oh... I'm sorry I didn't trust you Sting... I've been on alert for 10 years and this just hit me like a tsunami." Lucy sat back down and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Luce... Are you going to run away again?" Natsu sighed.

"No. I'm done running. It's time I face this head on. If my father wants to come after me, so be it! I'm going to be ready and I hope he is too."

"Lucy... the person that helped me... they are going to confront you very soon and I suggest you mentally prepare for it."

"How am I supposed to mentally prepare myself if I don't even know who the person is?"

"You'll find out. But now that I've explained myself, did you have a child?" Sting asked.

"Well... Actually..." Natsu sheepishly looked at him.

"Wait... wait... Did you marry bubblegum head?!" Sting pointed to Natsu in alarm.

"HEY! IT'S SALMON!"

"NO! No! Natsu is the father of... our son." Lucy cringed at the way it sounded.

"I'm confused. How can he be the fathe – wait... You had a son?" He smiled at Lucy sweetly and sighed in content.

"Yeah... His name is Haruto. He is the sweetest most adorable thing in the whole world. But... he doesn't even know..." Lucy felt the tears fall down her cheeks slowly.

"Wha-"

Carefully and slowly, Lucy told Sting what she had recently told Natsu. He was understanding but demanded to see his son, even though it isn't really his son. Confusing? Yes. Feeling that it was time to leave, Sting decided on a plan to tell Jude that he had tracked Lucy to Crocus and she was no longer in Magnolia.

"Thank you so much Sting, I honestly owe you so much." Lucy hugged him tightly.

"Yeah you do..." He laughed. "I'll be back when everything has settled down to visit both you and Haruto." Sting turned to Natsu. "Thank you for taking care of Lucy and Haruto and especially for protecting them." Sting bowed politely and left.

* * *

"Dear, I believe the boy has made contact with Lucy." The woman looked old but she was still beautiful.

"I believe so too. That should mean that the time has finally come." The male stood up and stretched his arms out in front of him.

"Patience... patience. I don't want to overwhelm her with the truth and I suppose that Jude is also going to confront her soon as well." The female stood up and dusted her dress. "It's about time she finds out everything."

* * *

 **Who is this? I wonder who these people are? Hehehe... I've got something planned guys. Well hoped you enjoyed! Till next time!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer - I don't own Fairy Tail**

* * *

 _Ring, ring. Ring, ring. Ri-_

"Hello?"

 _Hi, is this Haruto's guardian or parent I'm speaking with?_

Lucy felt her heart beat in her throat as she nervously nodded her head, not aware that the lady on the other side of the line couldn't see her.

 _Miss? Are you still there?_

"Oh! Sorry. Yes, I guess you could say I'm Haruto's guardian. May I ask who I'm speaking to?"

 _I'm a nurse that works at Magnolia Hospital._

"H-h-h-hospital…?"

 _Don't worry though! Haruto is completely fine and isn't injured in any way. I have just called to ask you to come sign a few papers and to pick him up._

"O-o-oh. Ok. May I please speak with Haruto"

 _Of course Miss. Please give me a second._

There was a small pause and Lucy felt her palms begin to sweat as reasons to why Haruto could be in the hospital whirled around her head.

 _Aunti-_

"Haruto!"

 _U-uh yes?_

"Are you ok? What happened?"

 _Where's Papa?_

Lucy sighed and shook her head in disbelief. "Daddy is at my house trying to fix the window he broke. But don't worry, he'll be there to pick you up."

 _Will you be there too?_

"Of course. Now, tell me what happened."

 _I'll tell you when you get here! Bye Auntie!_

And with that cheeky act, Haruto hung up on a shocked Lucy.

"NATSU!" The blonde called from one of the lounge room windows.

The male straightened his back, forgetting about the roof and smashed his crown, falling backwards. Landing on the grass with a soft thud, Natsu rubbed his head and looked over at Lucy.

"What's wrong now?"

"Haruto is at the hospital and we need to go pick him up."

"Ok." Casually, Natsu stood up and brushed the dirt off of his attire and then he abruptly stopped, slowly lifting his head to look at his best friend. "Wait… did you say the hospital?"

"Yes…?"

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! LET'S GO!"

As fast as his legs could take him, Natsu ran to his car, fumbled with his keys for a good 10 seconds before unlocking it and getting in.

Lucy followed suit and ran out the door, not forgetting to lock it, and then jumped into the passenger seat, holding onto the door for dear life as she knew how crazy of a driver Natsu was.

"U-u-um… Ne Natsu? Do you want me to drive…? It's dangerous for you to drive… you're really tired after hanging out with the boys today."

"I'm ok Luce. Don't worry. And plus, if I sit in any other seat than the driver's, I'll hurl."

As Natsu reversed out of the driveway, Lucy looked out the window, her features falling into a frown.

Natsu placed a hand on her thigh reassuringly.

"Don't worry about Haruto." The male gripped the steering wheel as tightly as he could, his muscles aching.

* * *

"Haruto!" Lucy screamed as she ran down the hallway.

The little boy popped his head out of one of the rooms and giggled.

The blonde skidded to a stop as a lady in a nurse outfit appeared out of the same room. She stood behind Haruto and bowed politely.

"Hello Miss. I'm the nurse that contacted you. Sorry for being rude but I'm Mimi." The lady had black hair that stopped just below her shoulders. She had an hourglass figure with long legs, a cute smile and doe brown eyes.

"Thank you so much for taking care of Haruto." The little boy ran into Lucy's arms.

"It's no problem really." Mimi placed her hands in front of her shook them side to side, smiling awkwardly.

"No! Seriously. Thanks. But mind telling us what happened?" Natsu rested his hand on his hip, ruffling Haruto's hair with his other hand.

"Well he didn't tell me anything. He said he wanted to wait for his dad and auntie because the story was like a comic, isn't that right?"

"That's right Miss Mimi!" Haruto grinned up at her and gave her the thumbs up in which she awkwardly giggled.

"Well, what happened little one? We're shaking with anticipation!" Lucy crouched down to be eye level with him.

"Anti… ci… pa… shon?" He looked at Mimi with his mouth a little open in confusion.

"Don't look at me! I have no idea how to explain it!" The nurse looked at Lucy and Natsu for help as they laughed.

"Don't worry about that. So what happened?" Natsu started getting fidgety.

"Well… Let's go to my room!" Haruto made a run for it as Mimi freaked out.

Once the excited boy had calmed down and was in his hospital bed, he finally decided to cooperate.

"I was playing handball with my friends and I hit the ball a little too hard and it FLEW over the gate and bounced away!" His eyes grew comically wide. "I thought I lost it!"

"So… what did you do…?" Lucy and Mimi looked at each other in alarm, Natsu totally confused.

"I went to go get the ball of course! You gave me that ball for Christmas, Auntie Lucy! I can't lose it!" Haruto puffed up his cheeks and continued with his story. "SO! I was walking across the black and white pathway and then this lady hugged me and carried me!"

"EH?!" Mimi and Lucy looked at each other and then back at Haruto in shock.

"WHO DID WHAT NOW?!"

"U-u-u-uh… Please be quiet…" The nurse sweat dropped as Natsu had started screaming profanities.

"Wait… Haruto? Did you see who the lady was? And why did she suddenly carry you?"

"Well she brought me back to the gates and kinda scolded me… she said I should watch where I was going. She saved me from getting hit by a car!" Haruto threw his arms up in the air dramatically.

"H-h-h-huh?" Lucy chocked on her words.

"What a nice lady!" Mimi clapped her hands together.

"Did you see what she looked like?"

"Well… she was wearing a beanie so I didn't see her hair… But she had big brown eyes! They were so nice looking!"

The women deadpanned. "Haruto, both me and Lucy have brown eyes. Are you sure you didn't see any other features?" Mimi asked.

"Uh… no. Not really." The blonde boy shrugged and suddenly went to go play with his hot wheel car.

"Did she say anything else?" Natsu inquired impatiently.

"Well she did say something but-" The young boy dramatically covered his mouth with his hands and gasped.

"U-uh… Haruto. If there's something you're hiding and can help us find the nice lady, please tell us." The black-haired female begged.

"I can't tell! She said I'm not allowed to say anything!"

"Huh…?"

"It's a secret! Shh!" Haruto giggled childishly.

"Haruto!" Mimi sang. "I'll give you a lollipop if you'll tell us!" She smiled mischievously.

"Mimi! Do you just bribe kids left, right and centre?!"

"Is that bribing?"

"Pretty much…"

"Oh well then yes. I do it all the time!"

The group deadpanned. However, in the end, Haruto kept his lips sealed and they had no choice but to go home.

* * *

"Lucy! Lucy! Catch me!" Haruto ran around the house like a little rascal as Lucy chased him, trying to put him into bed.

"Haruto! Come back here!"

Out of nowhere, Natsu swooped the little boy up into his arms, swinging him around in circles as his laughter filled the house.

"Are you being a bad boy Haruto?" Natsu placed him back down and looked at him sternly.

"I don't want to go to bed! I want to play games!" He shouted.

"Really? Let's go!" Natsu was about to run to the games room when Lucy stood in the hallway.

"Natsu..." She tapped her foot on the timber floor, placing her hands on her hips.

"Luce... come on..." He pouted, sticking his bottom lip out while Haruto looked up at her with his puppy eyes.

"Bed. Now. The both of you. It's late and I need to get back." Lucy reasoned.

"Why don't you stay the night Luce?"

"I live next door; it's not really going to make a difference. Now come on." She picked Haruto up into her arms and walked up the stairs.

"Aw man..." Natsu trudged up behind her, slouching his shoulders.

Lucy tucked the little boy into bed and stood up ready to leave.

"I've got to go now Haruto." She kissed his forehead lightly. "Goodnight little one."

She walked towards the door and turned off the light. As she was about to close the door, Haruto mumbled something which made Lucy turn around.

"Auntie?"

Lucy walked back and sat on the bed.

"Yes?"

"Please don't leave me and Nat- Natsu and I… Promise?"

Slightly taken aback, Lucy stumbled on her words. "U-u-u-uh… Y-y-yeah… Yes! I mean… I promise!"

"Pinky swear?"

"Pinky swear."

The female smiled as she walked away from the bed again, hearing Haruto mumble.

"Goodnight Mama…"

Closing the door, Lucy found herself face to face with Natsu.

"Did you just hear that?" She whispered.

"Of course I did. He asked me earlier today if he could call you Mom/Mum since you spend so much time with him and I said sure." Natsu loosened the scaly scarf around his neck.

"Really? When I tell him, it's going to be so much easier. I think..." She sighed in relief.

"Don't worry about it Luce. It won't matter because we would never leave you alone. I lov – I mean we love you..." The pink-haired idiot quickly turned away to walk to the top of the stairs.

Lucy's breath hitched in her throat. "Th-th-th-thanks Natsu..."

"Are you coming or what?" He didn't even look at her because he knew how hard he was blushing.

'Y-y-y-yeah... Of course." She shuffled towards him.

Making it to her house – which wasn't very hard – they both stopped in front of her front door and looked at each other.

 _Isn't this when the boy kisses the girl...? Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god..._

"So..." Natsu played with the bottom of his scarf, awkwardly adjusting it.

"N-N-N-Natsu..." Lucy bit the inside of her cheek, cursing herself for stuttering.

 _If I don't tell him now, I won't have the courage to later! I tried before but Sting interrupted when he knocked… I was so close before…_

"L-Luce... I..."

 _No... I can't tell him. I don't deserve to. I don't deserve to love him… but I still have the right to care for him with all my heart…_

Suddenly, something overcame her and Lucy wrapped her arms tightly around Natsu's waist, never wanting to let go.

"Lucy? What's the matter?" He looked down at her.

"Natsu... Promise me that whatever happens, you're going to be there." Her voice cracked slightly but Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, not allowing any salty liquid to fall.

"I promise. I've always been there for you to this day, haven't I? Nothing is going to change that..." Slowly, Natsu embraced her as well, running his fingers through her hair.

"I never thought that I could be happy after my mother died... but... I never got to tell you how much you helped me... You took care of Haruto even though you didn't even know me and I never said thank you. I realised that if you never existed, I'd probably be dead." She breathed in and out deeply, mustering all her strength to keep standing.

"Luce... that's taking it a little far..." He held her shoulders and pushed her back, looking into her hypnotic brown eyes.

"No... it isn't!" She shook her head, hair flowing in the sudden wind. "My father would've found me and taken Haruto away! He would get me to marry someone I didn't want to and he would raise Haruto the way I was... in fear. I wouldn't have lasted very long! I know how weak I am... People may say that I'm strong but that's bullshit! I am a coward for running just because I couldn't defend myself... I'm just so pathetic..." Lucy began trembling but remained tearless, she didn't want to be weak anymore.

"Lucy... that's not true at all. You may not have the physical strength to continue to stand and walk but you are the most strong-willed person I've ever met. You can withstand anything and you will never give up." Natsu placed his hand on her cheek, caressing it.

"Natsu..." Her bottom lip quivered slightly.

"Luce. I can tell you're trying not to cry. Just let it out. I'm not going to judge you or shout at you for crying. I care for you so much and you deserve to have freedom."

"But Natsu... I-i-i-if I cry..." Lucy looked at her feet as tears started falling. She felt pathetic. "I-i-i-if I cry... It just means that I'm weak..."

"Look at me. Lucy." His voice became stern and then soft all of a sudden. "Lucy... Look at me." She tilted her head up, tears falling continuously. "Chin up Luce. People cry not because they are weak but because they have been too strong for too long." Lucy bawled as Natsu held her close once more, her face against his chest.

Listening to his heartbeat and finding comfort in his warmth, Lucy calmed down. "Natsu... Thank you..."

"Eh? It's no problem Luce!" He stepped back and grinned, becoming his old self.

"In the end, I'm realising that I was never meant to fight on my own... I don't want to have to fight alone..." Lucy wiped her tears (even though they continued to fall) and smiled back at her best friend, her saviour.

(A/N If **any** of you get that lyric reference, I will love you for life! I love that song... sigh)

"You're no longer on your own Lucy. I will always be there. And so will Levy, Gray, Erza, Gajeel, Wendy, Juvia, Jellal and every single one of your friends. Even Sting." Natsu wiped her tears with his thumb. "The worst kind of pain is when you're smiling just to stop the tears from falling."

"S-s-so what do I do...?"

"Stand up tall but always know that you can lean on others..."

* * *

After Natsu and Lucy's bonding time, he invited himself into her house as she recovered. He decided to prohibit himself from going to her fridge since aggravating her wasn't the best option.

He made his way to her room and plopped himself onto her bed, feeling his eyelids grow heavy. Hearing Lucy walk up the stairs, his ears perked up and he felt his mouth twitch into a smile.

"Natsu... what are you doing on my bed...?" She rubbed her eyes groggily as she yawned cutely.

"You should at least be happy I came in through the door and not the window this time... and I didn't even touch your food! Or your novel!" Natsu pointed out.

"Well thank you but I'm tired." She plopped herself next to him and snuggled into her pillow.

Natsu sighed and sat up, walking over to the chair at her desk.

Around 10 minutes later, Natsu jerked at the sound of Lucy's soft snoring and steady breathing, he did have extremely sensitive ears.

(A/N you know, 7 minutes is actually the average amount of time it takes for someone to generally fall asleep? Idk, I'm that person who knows really random facts...)

Looking over at her bedside table to the clock, he groaned. It was already 10:08. He walked over to Lucy and looked at her. Finding his actions extremely creepy, Natsu backed away.

"I should probably go..."

The only reason why Natsu stayed and waited for her to sleep was to make sure she didn't cry as soon as he left. Instead, she had a smile plastered on her lips, her cheeks tinted with pink.

"You're such a weirdo..." Slowly, he leaned down and planted a light kiss on her forehead. "I love you, Luce... Goodnight."

* * *

 **Awwwww Natsu! Why not say that while she's still awake so that she can hear you? You stupid little shit... But see you guys next time!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys! Ok to clarify things, Lucy has told all her friends about her past and they've become accepting of it (although she didn't tell them about Haruto, only Natsu knows) and they pledged to protect her from her father. Now that I've gotten that outta the way, this chapter is kinda dramatic... ok really dramatic. But... I'm so, so, so, so sorry that this chapter is later than it usually is! I'm late by just a few hours cause I was at work and forget completely about updating! Just arrived home and remembered (thank god...) But please forgive me for these few hours that I was late... Sorry!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer - I don't own the anime Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Lucy rubbed her eyes as she squinted at the sun shining through her window.

"Ne Natsu...?" Feeling the part of the bed next to her, there was a cold empty space. "Huh?"

Quickly getting out of bed, she looked around her whole house, checking the kitchen, her bathroom, under her bed and even inside her drawers.

 _That's weird... I could've sworn Natsu slept here last night... Did he just up and leave without saying anything?_

Lucy shook her head and continued with her morning, doing her normal routine consisting of brushing her teeth, changing, brushing her hair, eating breakfast, etc.

Walking over to next door, she noticed that his door was open. Gingerly, she pressed her fingers lightly on the door and it swung open, revealing the house she had become comfortable with.

"N-N-Natsu...?"

 _I'm so dumb going in here alone! I should've called someone but..._

Her thoughts were cut short when the intense smell of smoke wafted up her nostrils. Breathing quickly, Lucy ran through the house as fire surrounded her body. She made her way to the kitchen only to find her worst nightmare: Natsu with a pool of blood engulfed in flames. The colour drained from her face as she crouched down and touched his cheek lightly, tears springing up from her eyes.

"Natsu! NATSU!" Lucy shouted through the crackling noise. She shook his body roughly to try to wake him.

Noticing the flames getting larger and spreading throughout the house, she knew she had to make a decision. Lucy felt for Natsu's pulse at his neck and sighed in relief that he was still at least alive. Ripping the curtains, she made 2 long pieces and wrapped one of them tightly around his wound on his head to stop the bleeding and the other wrapped loosely around his mouth to stop him from breathing in the poisonous air. Lucy was about to rip herself a piece of material when something made her stop in her tracks.

"A-a-a-a-auntie?!" A small voice screamed from upstairs.

"Haruto... HARUTO?!" Lucy stood up straight and wheeled her head around, her eyes wide.

 _Natsu or Haruto? I can't get them both in time..._

Her breathing quickened and she could feel the pain of an anxiety attack arising in her chest.

"Shit! Not now!" She cursed.

Lucy fell to her knees beside Natsu and held his hand tightly.

"I'll come back for you Natsu... I promise..."

Swiftly, she ran up the stairs, trying to avoid the fire as she grabbed her phone out of her pocket, dialling Erza.

"ERZA!"

 _Lucy? What's the matter?_

"Natsu's house! Fire! Unconscious! Haruto!" Lucy spat out all the words that were jumbled in her head. To her relief, Erza understood.

 _Alright Lucy. I'm on my way now. I'll call the fire department and the others. Don't go into the house. I repeat, do not go into the house. It's too dangerous._

"It's too late Erza! I'll sacrifice my life if it means that they're safe!"

 _Lucy! DON-_

Lucy hung up on Erza as she approached Haruto's bedroom. Breathing in deeply was a grave mistake. Lucy began hacking and coughing uncontrollably. She winced at the pain in her lungs but quickly dismissed it and continued at the task in hand.

Lucy noticed the boy's door was engulfed in flames, much like mostly everything else in the house. Reaching for the metal doorknob, a burning sensation ran up her whole arm and she rapidly jumped back and hissed at the pain.

"Shit... how could I be so dumb? Metal conducts heat…" Lucy didn't dare look down at her hands. "Haruto?! Can you hear me?!"

"Auntie!"

"Don't touch the doorknob! It's hot! I'll get you out of there! Stand as far away from the door as you can!"

As Lucy was forming a plan in her head, a piece of the ceiling, also engulfed in flames, fell down. Dodging it, it burnt the side of her arm severely as she gripped it in pain.

"ARGHH!" Lucy reeled her head back as she clenched her teeth.

Without even thinking, adrenaline running through her veins, Lucy did a run up and kicked Haruto's door down and it flung open. Greeting her was a quivering little boy curled into a ball in the corner of his room.

"Haruto... come here..." Lucy opened her arms for him to run into. She hugged him tightly as she rubbed his back. "Honey, are you hurt?"

"No... I opened the window to help me breathe and I was thinking about jumping out but it was too high..."

"That's very smart! Good thinking. Now that there are no windows where we are going through the house, you're going to have to be very careful, ok? Haruto, grab your pillow and take the case off of that." The boy did as he was told and came back quickly, noticing the urgency in her eyes. "Now wrap this over your mouth and nose and make sure you **do not** breathe in the air through the house ok?"

"What about you...?"

"I'll be fine, you're more important and we don't have time to worry about me. We have to get going, now Haruto!"

The blonde boy tied the material around his mouth and ran out the door, following behind Lucy.

"Make sure you follow my every step; it is extremely dangerous."

Just as she said that, a part of the ceiling collapsed in front of his bedroom door. He coward slightly as he inched closer to the female.

"Lucy... Is Dad ok?" Haruto's voice trembled as Lucy's step faltered.

"Don't worry about him, Haruto. He can take care of himself." Lucy reassured. "Now hold your breath and close your eyes for me."

Thinking on her feet, Lucy quickly scooped up the boy into her arms and ran for her life through the burning house. Her injured arm felt like it was about to fall off but she ignored it as much as she could.

 _Where the heck are the fire people and Erza?!_

Feeling her lungs constricting in her chest, she put pressure on the area heavily while coughing and choking. Seeing the light of the open front door, Lucy sprinted for it and once she emerged out of the house, the sweet sensation of oxygen filled her lungs. She noticed that people were surrounding the house, frantically speaking into the phones.

 _It's the neighbours..._

Collapsing, Lucy heard a car door close and fast footsteps running. It was Erza and the others.

"Lucy... let go of Haruto, it's ok..." Erza cooed as Lucy loosened her grip.

Levy ran towards her and hugged her tightly. "Lu-chan... oh my word, are you ok?" Levy wiped the black stains on her face but it didn't really work.

"N-N-N-Natsu's still in there..." Lucy looked back at the house weakly.

"It's ok Lucy. The fire department is on their way." Gray placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"How could you say that?!" Lucy screeched. The raven-haired male stepped back slightly. "How could you just sit here and wait for them and do nothing...? Natsu is dying in there and all you're going to do is stay here?!" Lucy felt the liquid, that seemed to be a part of her now, run down her cheeks.

"Lu-chan... All we can do **is** wait... Otherwise, more than one of us will get hurt." Levy tried to choose her words carefully, trying not to set her friend off.

"We're wasting time here! Juvia? Gajeel? Jellal? Erza? Wendy? You guys agree with me right? We're not going to abandon him are we? We're not going to let him fight on his own...?" She looked at her friends expectantly.

"I'm sorry Lucy-san... but we aren't abandoning him. It might sound selfish but we're all going to get hurt or die trying to save him... you don't die for you friends, you live for them…" Wendy whispered but it echoed loudly in Lucy's ears.

She hung her head low and a shadow covered her eyes. "I understand... you guys are just trying to be smart... I get it." Lucy wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "But if there's one thing I've learnt spending time with you guys, is that friends mean everything and you would never abandon them. I have learnt to live by that motto as well." Standing up, she made her way to the house once more, not even thinking about getting something to cover her mouth.

"LUCY DON'T!" Erza reached her arm out but it was too late.

A large piece of the house fell in front of the door blocking the entrance. Small sections of it flew everywhere and Lucy flew back. The debris of glass, wood and metal cut and bruised her skin and the feeling of nostalgia washed over her. It reminded her of when her father used to beat her.

Getting up gingerly, she moved the debris off of her as she ignored the screams of her friends and the sounds of footsteps running from behind her. Lucy ran to the front garden and grabbed a large rock and threw it through a window. Crawling through the frame, shards of the remainder glass cut at her hands and she didn't even wince since her body was numb. Jumping into the house, a rough hand grabbed onto her wrist which made her reel her head backwards.

"Don't do this Lucy..." Gray pleaded.

"I have too. You can't stop me." Lucy made her way through the house carefully and slowly, not recognising where the kitchen was since the walls had been burnt down and nothing looked familiar.

"Lucy. If I can't stop you, I'm going to help." Gray smiled at her and Lucy nodded at him in respect and slightly in relief. "I'll run ahead and make sure it's safe. Stay behind me. And to be honest Lucy, Natsu's going to be ok. He's a pyro maniac so he's used to the heat." The male decided to keep his shirt on as he ran ahead, Lucy following behind.

"I left him at the kitchen since he was too heavy to lug because he was unconscious." Lucy explained, her breathing becoming harder like before.

"Are you ok Lucy? You've been exposed to this bad shit for longer than I have and I'm already having trouble... What can I do to help?" He turned around, although he continued trudging through the debris.

"No. The only thing you can do is keep going." Lucy demanded.

Spotting the marble bench of the kitchen, Lucy ran ahead of Gray and looked at the ground where she had left Natsu. Nothing.

"NATSU?! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Lucy mustered up all the air she could to scream for him.

"L-L-L-Luce..." A small voice coughed out.

Lucy looked around and saw Natsu curled up in the corner of the kitchen behind the fridge.

"Natsu!" She ran and hugged him tightly.

"Y-y-y-you came back for me..." His voice was hoarse and scratchy and Lucy bet it hurt too.

"Of course I did! I promised, didn't I?" She bit her lip and then something clicked in her brain. "Natsu, we're wasting time! Let's go!" Lucy stood up to leave but Natsu didn't move. "What's the matter?" She checked him all over to see if he was hurt any more than his head.

"My leg is burnt like crazy, much like your arm... That's why I couldn't get out, walking isn't exactly an option right now." He winced.

 _Oh... I forgot about my arm... and my hand. Shit... Hopefully the pain will come later..._

"You can lean on me. Come on Natsu, we have to go. The house is gonna collapse or blow any second now. GRAY?!" Lucy called out.

"Ice princess is here...? Wow... I'm surprised..." Natsu joked.

"I'm right here Lucy." Gray came up from behind and grabbed Natsu's arm, hauling him forward and then wrapping his own arm around his waist for support. "I got this. Just stay behind me just in case any more shit falls from above."

Natsu started limping and leaning on Gray and Lucy thanked the Gods that this was finally going to be over. Finally making it to the window that Lucy had broken, (even though it was the smallest of damages made compared to everything else) Gray called out for help and saw that the fire fighters were finally here.

"About fucking time..." Lucy mumbled under her breath.

Erza and Gajeel came running towards them and held onto Natsu while Gray hauled himself out of the window.

"Your turn Luce... I'll go last..." Natsu smiled at her.

"No way Natsu! You're wasting time, just go!" Lucy nudged him lightly.

"WATCH OUT!" Levy screamed.

Gajeel, Erza and Gray turned around and their eyes widened. Natsu jumped on top of Lucy but she kicked him out of the way. The debris crushed her body and Natsu sat there staring at it.

All Lucy remembered was kicking the pink haired idiot and then... nothing but pain.

* * *

 **Cliffhanger...? Kinda. Hehe. If you wanna know what happened, you gotta wait for two days!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer - I don't own this anime at all!**

* * *

Gray jumped back into the house to grab Natsu and haul him out. Natsu screamed and shouted at him, kicking all over the place.

"Sir! Let us handle this. We are professionals." A middle aged fire fighter reassured. He ordered several of men and women to stabilize the situation of the burning and collapsing house.

"NO! LET GO OF ME!" Natsu felt his heart beat in his throat and head as he struggled out of Gray's grasp.

"Natsu! Stop! They'll get her out of there!" Gray explained through clenched teeth.

"NO! SHE NEEDS ME! Luce... needs me..." The male broke down into a blubbering mess. "She came back for me... when I thought I was fighting on my own... she saved my life..." Natsu nestled his head into his arms and sobbed. It's been a while since he'd done that.

"Look Natsu... She saved you when you tried to save her. There's nothing you could've done." Levy's voice trembled as she tried to reassure herself with her own words.

"Natsu... if you go in there and try to save Lucy, it could only make things worse. The debris will not move the way you want it and you might end up crushing her even more." Erza explained, trying to make him understand the more realistic side.

"Ok... I get it..." Resting his chin on his forearm, Natsu watched the 'professionals' put out the fire. Carefully, they enter the house, cautious to not make anything else collapse.

Natsu saw through the broken window shadows appearing in front of the heap of wreckage where Lucy lay under. A sick feeling sat at the pit of his stomach and he suddenly felt the urge to vomit. Looking away, Natsu glanced over at Haruto who was still shaking.

Suddenly, the pink-haired male stood up, startling his friends, and placed his hands around his mouth.

"LUCY! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"

* * *

Lucy jolted awake and wheezed as she tried to get in as much oxygen as she could but instead inhaled dust and the smell of burnt rubble, making her cough uncontrollably.

"Natsu...?" Trying to move around, the wind was knocked out of her when she felt the heavy wreckage on her leg. She looked in the darkness and trailed her fingers along the cement, finding that she was lucky. It was like she was stuck in a little air bubble and there was something stopping her from being crushed to death.

Natsu's ears perked up and his face lit up. Gajeel smiled and ruffled Levy's hair and she looked at him in confusion.

"What is it Gajeel?"

"Shrimp, you're gonna be a little relieved..."

"L-L-L-Lu-chan...?" Her eyes were filled to the brim with tears already.

"That's right. Bunny girl sounds like she's alive, for now. She's hacking a whole bunch..."

No one dared to sigh in relief or applaud because her life was still in danger.

"Natsu? Natsu!" Lucy started coughing again, her memory hazy and her lungs hurting.

 _There's no point in calling for him if he can't hear me. I don't even know if my kick was enough to save his ass..._

"Ma'am? Can you hear me?" A muffled voice sounded on the other side.

"Help!" Lucy's eyes widened and a smile spread across her face. "I'm conscious now!" She called out.

"Thank goodness. Are you hurt anywhere? Can you move freely?"

"Uh... Well I have a few nasty burns but my leg is stuck under something!" There was a silence as her voice rang in her own ears.

As Erza walked over to the fire fighters to offer her help, Natsu noticed that the fire was now gone. At the moment, he was sitting at the back of an ambulance as the doctor asked him questions. Haruto was at another ambulance lying on a stretcher and was playing with a toy the female doctor gave him.

"Sir? Are you listening?"

"H-h-huh?"

"Are you having trouble breathing?"

"I was before... but not anymore." Natsu answered truthfully.

"We're going to have to take you to the hospital for further examination just in case it has poisoned your lungs." The doctor began dressing his large burn on his leg which made Natsu flinch.

"Sorry... it just stings..." Natsu stared at his house again as she started to wrap the wound.

Sadness overwhelmed him as all his memories were left in that house. Searching through his pockets, he found a small jewellery box and clenched it tightly in his hands. He sighed in relief as he opened it and it revealed a crumpled piece of paper that had lasted over 10 years.

"I'm finished with your leg sir. Are you hurt anywhere else?" The doctor touched Natsu's bandage on his head to readjust it slightly, seeing if it was going to hold.

"No... I should be ok for now. Thank you. I need to go check something out." Natsu jumped off the back of the vehicle and cursed himself for doing so.

Limping towards the house, Natsu crawled through the broken window and found himself face to face with the rubble.

"S-s-s-sir...? Is the pink-haired guy ok?" A small voice asked from beneath the heap.

"Don't worry about him Miss. Well lo and behold, he's here now." The man looked at Natsu sternly. "Don't touch anything, it **will** collapse and crush her."

Natsu nodded quickly and crouched next to the debris, lost his balance. Falling onto his butt, he quickly looked around to see if anyone saw that.

"Luce...? Are you ok?"

"Natsu... Are **you** ok? I kicked you pretty fricken hard..." Natsu heard Lucy giggle slightly and then start coughing.

"Don't speak Lucy... It's only going to hurt you more. And plus, I'm fine thanks to you. Thank you..." He smiled.

"Alright sir, we've constructed a plan and I suggest you go back outside. The amount of dust and wreckage that will be flying everywhere will not be safe." The fire fighter came back with a crew of women and men, carrying heavy duty equipment and gas masks.

"Ok... but once you see Lucy, tell me." Natsu limped out the window and made his way over to Gray, slapping him on the back. "Thanks a lot man, I owe you one."

"Owe me **one**? ONE?!" Gray lifted his fist to punch his buddy but then laughed heartedly. "I'm glad you're alright." Thinking against his previous actions, the raven-haired boy playfully punched Natsu's shoulder.

Natsu limped over to Haruto, with Gray as support, to help calm the poor boy down.

"Hey Haruto. You doin' ok?" Natsu ruffled the young boy's hair.

"Y-y-y-yeah... Where's Auntie?" Haruto looked around.

"U-uh... I'm not going to lie to you but she's just in a little bit of a cucumber right now..."

"It's 'in a bit of a pickle' you moron, not cucumber." Gray facepalmed.

The blonde boy laughed and Natsu grinned at the sweet sound.

"Excuse me? Natsu?" The same doctor from before tapped his shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"I need you to come with me. We need to run some checks on you." She gestured to the ambulance.

"U-u-u-uh..." He looked helplessly at Gray.

"Just go dude. Your life could be in more danger by just standing here. It's better to be safe than sorry." Gray shoved Natsu in the general direction and smiled at him. "Are you going to stand there staring at me or should I give you a good ol' knuckle-sandwich?" The male threatened.

Natsu grinned and walked away. When he arrived at the ambulance, the doctor asked him to lie on the stretcher, much like Haruto. The woman placed a plastic mask over his mouth and told him to breathe deeply.

"Is this going to make me feel sleepy...?" Natsu's muffled voice asked.

"No... this is just going to help you breathe. I don't know if you've noticed but you've been having trouble breathing haven't you?"

Natsu's eyes became wide. "I have..." It was so strange yet good to feel the cold sensation of clean air wash over his lungs after so long of having it muffled with fabric and smoke.

A cold object and skin ran up his belly and pressed lightly on his chest, startling him.

"Sorry. It's just a stethoscope. Please breathe in and out deeply." Several seconds passed. "Please lay on your side." Natsu rolled over and the doctor slipped the metal item onto his back. "Breathe in and out deeply."

Natsu hadn't even noticed how long he was on his side but looking around, the doctor was gone. Sitting up on the bed, the male adjusted his scarf and waited for his head to stop spinning before he looked around again.

"Hi Natsu-nii!" Wendy sat next to him, smiling sweetly.

"Hey Wendy..." He moved around the mask and grinned back at her, the mask falling slightly.

"Can you breathe ok? Is your head still bleeding? Did the doctor treat the burn on your leg?" Her brows furrowed and she looked him up and down.

"I'm fine Wendy... don't worry about it." Natsu ruffled her hair and she pouted cutely. "Have you gone and seen Haruto yet?"

"Yeah! Of course, I actually just came back from talking to him."

"Is he ok?"

"Yeah... He's just still really scared... he's still trembling actually... He couldn't even look at the house and I think he was crying..." Wendy rubbed her arms as if she was cold.

Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, Natsu rested his head on her head.

"To be honest, I'm still shaking too..." He lifted his hands up as if to prove Wendy that he was, in fact, still shaking. "I feel like an old lady." Natsu chuckled lightly.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise and a crashing noise, followed by the shouting of fire fighters.

"What's that? Is the house still collapsing?" Wendy looked cautiously over.

"I'm not sure... Godammit... I had everything in that house..." Natsu shook his head.

"It's ok Natsu-nii... Your belongings may be gone but the memories will still be there."

"I guess."

Looking down at his lap, he sighed, not sure if everything was ok. A strange metal clanging noise sounded out and Natsu looked up to see doctors wheeling a stretcher into an ambulance. Squinting his eyes and noticing who it was, Natsu jolted up, whipping off the mask.

"Natsu-nii! What are you doing?!" Wendy stood up and grabbed onto his arm.

"Let go of my Wendy!"

"You have to rest! You have to keep your mask on!"

"It's Lucy! I don't care if I can't breathe!" Natsu roughly shrugged her off and limped his way over to the stretcher, much to Wendy and the doctor's protests. Natsu stopped the stretcher and hugged Lucy, her mask fogging up. "Lucy..."

"N-N-N-Natsu..." Lucy coughed violently.

"Lucy... don't speak... It's ok..." Natsu stood up straight and looked into her eyes. "Lucy... I thought I lost you... Thank you for coming back for me..."

Lucy shook her head and smiled.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to step away from the stretcher. We need to take her to the hospital. Excuse us." The doctor pushed him out of the way rudely, continuing to roll the stretcher away.

They hauled the bed onto the back of the vehicle and as they were about to close the doors, Natsu threw his arm into the middle, stopping it.

"Can I ride in the back?"

"Uh... Are you a relative?" A younger male asked.

"No not really but I'm a close friend." The doctor looked at Natsu reluctantly. "Come on! Help a brother out... please. I'll even go on my hands and knees." Natsu clasped his hands together and tried to give the best puppy eyes.

"Alright, whatever. Just don't interrupt and intervene the doctor, they need to make sure she's ok." The male opened the door a little bit so Natsu could hop in before closing it.

"Hey Luce..." Natsu wrapped his hands into hers, feeling how cold it was. She smiled weakly up at him. "Honestly, thanks so much for saving me... twice! And saving Haruto too... I'm surprised and kind of angry at how much of a coward I was..." He shook his head in disbelief.

Lucy shook her head and went to take off her mask. Pulling it off of her face, Lucy smiled. "Natsu... we made a promise, didn't we? I would never let you fight alone..." Her voice was hoarse and her throat felt dry.

Natsu reached over and placed the mask back onto her face, putting a strand of dark blonde hair behind her ear. "Your hair colour is coming back." Flinging her hands up to her hair, Lucy began panicking, feeling her heart beat in her throat. "Don't dye it anymore. I like it blonde and I bet you do too." Flashing his toothy grin at her, Lucy blushed. Such a small gesture could set her off. "Oh and I forgot to tell you." Natsu leaned in closer to her, making her blush even more if that were possible. "You have ash and soot all over your face... you look like you're about to go to war, or has already been in one." Natsu's chuckle turned into a full hearty laugh, Lucy was no longer blushing as she tried wiping her face, only to make the stains and laughter worse.

"Natsu!" Lucy wailed. Natsu began hacking furiously as he choked on his own saliva.

"Hey Luce?"

"Hm?" Lucy tilted her head slightly to face him.

"I was scared I was going to lose you. I was scared I was going to lose the mother to my son. I was scared of losing my partner in crime. I was scared of losing my best friend." Natsu rested his hand on her head, stroking her hair.

"I'm sorry… for making you w-w-worry…" The blonde tried to swallow her saliva as her throat became dry, a blush spread across her cheeks.

Suddenly, with a violent jolt, the vehicle started moving and Natsu fell to the ground in a blubbering heap.

Lucy didn't dare sit up in her bed in case she died or something (over exaggeration, yes). Instead, Lucy just let one of her hands drop over the side of the stretcher. Feeling Natsu place his head under it, Lucy began running her fingers through his hair as he let out a content grumble, almost like a cat.

Beginning to feel the burns on her arm and hand begin to sting, Lucy sighed out loud.

"I love you..." A slurred sentence was heard underneath her, followed by the thump of Natsu fainting.

Lucy shook her head.

 _I'm just hallucinating... Natsu is either asleep or barfing up a storm so he couldn't even possibly spit out a normal sentence... Maybe the doctors did put some medication in this mask..._

Without even thinking, she felt words slip out of her mouth. Before she could catch herself in the act, Lucy's own voice rang and echoed in her ears. It was so quiet but so loud as it broke the deafening silence.

"I love you too."

* * *

 **Sta** **y tuned guys!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey guys! This week has bena lot more chill than previous weeks as assessment hasn't piled up (yet). So I've been watching some anime and YouTube so it's been less stressful for now. Sorry that this chapter is a little later than usual (by a couple hours) so I hope you can forgive me!** **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer - I don't own the awesomeness called Fairy Tail**

* * *

"Lucy!" A large group of people barged into the hospital room, falling and stomping on top of each other.

"Huh...?" Lucy looked up from the novel she was reading and smiled. "Natsu? Natsu...? Natsu!"

A hand appeared from behind the curtain and Lucy facepalmed. Yanking his hand, a loud thump sounded off followed by a groan.

"Is Natsu in here too...? Where's Haruto?" Levy asked as she sat in the seat next Lucy's bed.

"Haruto's in the children's section of the hospital, not sure where exactly that is though."

The pink-haired male groggily stood up, rubbing the back of his head as he made his way to Lucy's bed. Nodding his head as he greeted his friends, Natsu sat on the floor.

Erza manoeuvred her way to the front of the group and looked at Lucy sternly.

"E-E-E-Erza... hi..." The female tried hiding behind her book but noticed the regret in her eyes. "Is something the matter?"

"L-L-Lucy..." She sighed.

Everyone looked at each other in alarm. _"Did Erza just stutter?!"_ Was the only thing that whirled around everyone's mind.

"Y-y-yes?" Lucy suddenly became extremely stiff and tense.

Erza sighed again. "I must apologize to you. I deeply, **deeply** regret my actions earlier and I ask you for forgiveness." The red-head bowed.

"Eh?! Why?"

"I'm sorry I didn't have enough courage to help you... When you practically begged me, no us, to come and help you get Natsu, we did nothing but cowardly decline. I'll be completely honest to you Lucy, I was scared. So far in my life, I haven't had the feeling of losing someone you love or care about most nor have I had the feeling of hopelessness and loneliness. I was scared about what I would feel if Natsu had left this world that I had become purely numb in fear. Never had I felt like that before. From the look in your eyes, I knew you had experienced those negative feelings and it seemed like it was an excessive amount of it too... unfortunately. You can tell a lot about a person just by looking through the doors to their soul: their eyes. Since I hadn't felt those things before, I have come to the conclusion that it has made me weak, both my heart and spirit. Since I haven't known that type of pain, to some extent, it means I don't know happiness."

"E-E-Erza! I... I didn't know..." Lucy honestly didn't know how to feel about the information she had just received. What would anyone do in this situation?

"I didn't expect you to. In life, I had found that I lived by a motto. 'You don't die for your friends; you live for them.' That's what Wendy had said earlier… we have all began living by it. At first glance, it seems almost selfish. To some extent, it is but to another level, you're forced to think about how your friends would feel once you died. They'd be in so much pain and it isn't the physical kind." Erza bowed, keeping her head low.

"I... that... how... Erza!" Lucy's voice came out more of a whine than she anticipated.

"If it makes you feel any better, you may take a strike at all of us for being such cowards." Erza held her head up high, eyes closed.

"ALL OF US?!" Her friends looked at Lucy in alarm.

"No! No... I'm not going to punch any of you! I understand that you guys care about your safety but for me, I don't care if I die or live. No one will mourn my death in the first place, after all, I've done nothing to benefit this world so I'm just wasting space." Lucy shrugged and went back to reading, leaving everyone else in the room in shock.

"Lu-chan! What are you talking about?! Lu-chan!" Levy threw herself onto her and sobbed.

"Uh... I'm not dead yet..."

"But you said we wouldn't care! HOW DARE YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT?! We love you... I... how... I can't! Why?!" Levy cried into Lucy's arm with occasional sobs echoing through the room.

A nurse peered through the room door and cleared her throat.

"Excuse me? I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You are disturbing other patients and it is making some of them extremely distressed. Visiting time is almost over as well so..." She cleared her throat once more and shuffled around nervously.

"It's fine. We understand." Jellal made his way out of the door, dragging a waving Erza out as well.

"Well good job Shrimp! You got us kicked out! Again!" Gajeel threw his arms up in the air and followed suit.

"Again...?" Lucy furrowed her eyebrows at Levy, who instantly blushed.

"Uh... o-o-on second thought... Gajeel! Wait up!" Leaping off of the bed, the curly blue-haired female ran off, her screaming voice echoing in the halls.

In the corner of her eye, she could already see Natsu and Gray were in a heated battle, screaming the lamest of insults at each other followed by empty threats. Even though the pink-haired idiot had a major burn on his leg, that didn't stop him from asking for a fight.

Lucy had noticed that Wendy had left a while ago, seeking advice from some of the doctors about her future career in medicine (Lucy had helped her out as well since she had a doctorate degree in it). Juvia was drooling over Gray's abs as he had already – obviously – stripped and of course Natsu didn't wait to jump to insult him about it.

The female sighed at her friends' antics as she closed her eyes, deep in thought.

 _What did I get myself into with friends like these...?_

Feeling something weigh down a side of her bed, Lucy opened her eyes cautiously only to see a very close face.

"You got yourself into a whole lot of fun. That's what."

"KYA!" Lucy kicked him in the face. That's it. No beating around the bush. She straight up kicked him in the face which startled the hell out of Natsu.

"Luce! What the heck?!" Natsu sat on the ground, rubbing his tender nose as tears sprung from the corners of his eyes.

"What do you mean 'what the heck'?! You scared me! I just reacted!" The female shook her head. "Anyways, one: why were you so damn close to me?! And two: How did you answer my question I said in my head?!" As always, Lucy demanded questions, and she wanted them now (so she wouldn't die of embarrassment).

"Uh... Well I can be as close as I want to be, can't I?" The male shrugged and looked around the room, trying to avoid eye contact.

Lucy's breath hitched in her throat as she felt the heat rush to her cheeks. To hide her blush, Lucy turned the embarrassment to anger.

"EH?! You can't be as close as you want! At least warn me first! B-b-baka..."

 _Why do I sound like some tsundere from a shoujo manga? Jesus Christ Lucy... STOP BLUSHING GODAMMIT_

"Why would I warn you? That wouldn't be any fun now would it? I like surprising you and seeing your reactions because it's always so over exaggerated!" Natsu flashed his toothy grin and chuckled slightly which in turn only made his friend redder.

"It might be fun for you but not for me!" Sticking her bottom lip out, Lucy pouted as she crossed her arms over her chest. "And plus, how the heck did you know what question I asked to answer it?"

"You said it out loud Luce... I knew you were dumb, but not **that** dumb..." Natsu sniggered at his snarky comment.

"OI!" Lucy breathed in and out deeply, her aura totally changing. "I'm not going to be immature about this. Unlike someone I know." She shot him a dark glare.

"I... I never told you this but I like being close to you Lucy." He smiled up at her (he was still seated on the ground and she was on the bed) and Lucy let her eyes widen and her jaw drop. "I like the way you smell..." Natsu put a finger to his chin, as if he was thinking as Lucy started to freak out. "You smell like... strawberries... and vanilla... kind of like-" Natsu cut his sentence short, his eyes clouding over with tears.

"N-N-Natsu...? Are... are you ok...?" Lucy didn't know what had just occurred.

Natsu continued sobbing as he rested his head into his hands.

 _He looks like a lost little boy... alone... scared..._

Gingerly, Lucy swung her legs over the side of the bed and felt a shiver run up her spine as the cold tile floor made contact with her toes. Leaping down, not quite so gracefully, Lucy stumbled over to her best friend and sat down, embracing him into a hug like she had done several times before.

"L-L-L-Lucy..." The female ran her fingers through his pink hair as he cried in the crook of her neck.

"Yeah Natsu...? You can tell me..."

"You need to rest... don't worry about me... I'm just being a baby." Natsu made an effort to push her away put Lucy held on, as if she needed comforting too.

"No Natsu. We made a promise. I will stay by your side, no matter what. Right now, you're facing one hell of a battle inside that I know nothing about and I would like to help you." Once again, she found the right words to say to convince Natsu.

"I... I... I thought I had gotten over it. It's been... years. So long... But whenever something that reminds me of her pops up, I can't help but feel my whole body tremble, let alone my hands... It's like it's burnt into my memory... her scent, the way she would act, the way she scolded me... everything down to the way she smiled down at me and said 'everything is going to be ok. If it's meant to be like that then it is. Destiny has its way of working.' Every time something happened and I cried, she would say that to me..." Natsu faced the palm of his hand up to the ceiling as he examined it shaking.

 _Who is this girl Natsu's talking about? Don't tell me it's Lisanna...? That was... not that long ago actually..._

Lucy shook her head.

 _It's best not to ask questions, but to comfort._

"Look Natsu... She's right. Destiny does have a way... You see, destiny was the one that brought us together after 10 years."

"Lucy... do you know why I'm having a mental break down?" He looked at her with furrowed eyebrows and eyes filled with hurt.

 _There's no beating around the bush with this guy is there?_

"Well I **do** know that you obviously miss this person and feel sorrow and great amount of pain when you're reminded of them."

"Luce... this person I'm talking about. It's my mother." The words felt like poison in his mouth. He never spoke about her.

 _No way... his mother?! I basically know nothing about the women that raised and then abandoned him... I barely even know Natsu's past, even after being friends for years... WHY DO GUYS HAVE TO BE SO DAMN MYSTERIOUS?! DAMN SHOUJO MANGAS! CLICHE STORY LINES! WHY DID THEY HAVE TO MAKE THEIR WAY INTO MY LIFE?!_

"You know Luce... you're exactly like her." She felt him smile against her shoulder as tears still dampened her attire.

"I'm so sorry Natsu..." Lucy mumbled.

"Wait... why...? Why are you sorry Lucy? You've done nothing wrong." Natsu put space between them, wiped his cheeks and looked at her.

"Well... I... just by hanging out with me, I bring back memories that you don't want back..."

"It's not your fault Lucy, you didn't know and I like hanging out with you."

"But I'm being selfish! I want to spend more time with you and I want to be around you... I want... no I need you by my side Natsu. And it's only for my own selfish reasons just because I don't want to be left all alone again... I'm totally disregarding how you feel and what memories are coming back just by me being close to you..." Lucy didn't know what to do. She never knew what she had put Natsu through.

"Well what are we going to do about it? There's nothing we can do. And to be honest, if that's your reason for being selfish, I guess I'm a horrible person too. I need you here with me because the fact that you're here comforts me to no end and I don't want to be left alone either. I've been abandoned multiple times in my life and that's a feeling I don't want repeated..." Natsu intertwined his fingers with Lucy's, making her stare.

"I-I-I-I guess... Do you want to tell me everything Natsu? I mean... I don't want to intrude with your past but you see, I don't think you've told anyone about your parents and I just... it's better not to bottle it up." Lucy felt her palms starting to sweat.

 _How else was I supposed to ask him? I can't just go: 'Hey, tell me about the people that abandoned you!' What do you take me for?! But even still... The way I said it sounded so blunt... so heartless... still so inconsiderate._

"There's nothing to my past. My father left my mother and I to fend for ourselves like the selfish bastard he was. Tch." Natsu snarled at the thought of his father (his real one anyway).

"I'm sorry... A-a-and what about...?"

"My mother? She died not so long after. I think the stress got to her... she was the only person I ever trusted. You're exactly like her. You even smell like her too... creepy I know." He laughed a little before continuing. "She would overreact just like you and would scold me constantly for doing something wrong. She always knew the right thing to say and how to cheer me up." Natsu smiled but his eyes didn't look happy one bit.

"Oh..."

 _Is that all you can say Lucy?! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU_

"Yeah... I guess that's how we became friends. Just the resemblance struck home and made me feel safe. A little later, someone found me. His name was Igneel. He took me in and nurtured me. Then, just like everyone else in my life, he disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Lucy didn't exactly think that was the right word to use.

"I don't know." He shrugged half-heartedly. "I just... I just never understood why they all left. Look... Lucy? I don't want this to change how you act around me or think around me ok? I haven't needed anyone's sympathy for basically 20 years so I don't really need it now either."

"I know what it's like to be abandoned, trust me. So the only thing that will change between us is my understanding of you." Lucy ruffled his hair playfully.

"Thanks Luce... You always know how to help."

"Natsu... I know I'm 20 years late on this but I'm here for you now." Subtly, the female pried Natsu's hands off of hers, her heart beating fast.

"Luce, some people will tell you that 'everything happens for a reason' but it isn't necessarily your job to find those reasons. Sometimes the best thing to do is accept... and move on."

(A/N Any of you get that quote reference from Domics? Any of you? No...? Ok...)

"Holy crap! When did I get so psychological?" Natsu laughed as he too, took back his hand.

"It's philosophical you dummy! Way to ruin the moment!" Lucy pouted as she hit him across the head, making him pout.

 _I'm going to remember those surprisingly wise words..._

So to sum up, there were 2 grown adults, sitting on the floor of a hospital room, hitting each other, and pouting. Immature? Yes.

* * *

 **Hope you guys enjoyed! Just sit tight till next time!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey guys! Sorry that this is so late! Please forgive me! I've been super busy!**

 **E** **njoy!**

 **Disclaimer - I don't and will never own Fairy Tail!**

* * *

A few months had passed and in that time, Natsu's house had been quickly rebuilt. A little differently of course, but it was just how he liked it. He wasn't the best at change.

"LUCY!" Natsu screamed from his bedroom window. He was trying to get the attention of his neighbour who was, of course, in the next house over. "LUSHEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"WHAT?!" An angry voice echoed out of the building.

"WHERE ARE YOU?! I CAN'T SEE YOUR FACE!"

"I'M IN THE BATH NATSU! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?!"

"I CAN'T WALK ON MY LEG STILL AND I'M THIRSTY!" Natsu hollered.

"WELL GET THE FUCKING WATER YOURSELF!"

"You're such a meanie Luce..." Natsu pouted as he reached for the crutches the hospital admitted him.

Struggling to stretch his arms the required length, Natsu ended up falling flat on his face.

"Dad...?" Haruto stood in the doorway, brows furrowed in confusion.

"Don't ask. Just help." He wheezed out.

"Oh!" The blonde placed the cup of ice cold water on the wooden table and grabbed at his father's scarf, pulling with all his might to lug him back onto the bed. "I'm not strong enough Dad!"

"Cmon Haruto! I'm not that heavy! You're a son of mine aren't you? HEAVE HO!"

Haruto flexed his fingers and placed on his scarf. The little boy let out a struggled cry and groan as he yanked as hard as he could. Natsu placed his arm on the bed as leverage but it was such an awkward position to pull himself up.

Suddenly, Haruto's fingers slipped off the fabric and he punched himself in the face. Letting out a cry in pain, Natsu looked back.

"What the heck? What happened?! Are you ok?" Turning fully around, the pink-haired male searched everywhere to find any visible injuries, running his fingers over Haruto's face.

"I'm fine Dad... probably going to get a massive bruise on my cheek. That's not going to look good..." He gingerly touched the area and instantly regretted it as it throbbed.

"If you're worried about that, don't! Luce will just use that magic stuff."

"Magic? What magic?" The boy's face lit up like stars.

"I don't know. From what I remember, it was in a small glass bottle…"

"I'm pretty sure that's just ointment, Dad…"

"Let me ask her." Still on the ground, Natsu screamed as loud as he could, and his loudest could be heard at the end of Magnolia. "LUCY! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"

There was a pause and then an angry reply. "IF I COULDN'T HEAR YOU, THEY'D BE SOMETHING SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH ME!"

"GOOD! COME HELP US! WE'RE LYING ON THE GROUND IN PAIN AND IN NEED FOR ASSISTANCE!"

"US?! WHO'S US? SOMEONE IS THERE WITH YOU?!"

"YEAH! HARUTO IS AND HE'S HURT! COME QUICK!" Natsu slumped against the bed, completely out of breath.

With his good set of ears, he could hear the crashing and shouts in pain and then Lucy's door open. Hearing the satisfying sound of her calling his name sent shivers down his spine. Exasperated, Lucy burst through the door frame in only a towel, her wet hair clinging to her head and cheeks.

Natsu and Haruto looked up at her innocently.

"You're not hurt at all! You're just clumsy!" Lucy scolded.

"Actually... you're the clumsy one Luce. I heard you crashing into things and falling over there." He smiled mischievously.

"W-w-well! That's your fault for scaring me!" She breathed in and out deeply before her aura completely changed. "So..." Crouching down so she was eye level with Haruto, Lucy tilted her head. "What have you hurt?"

"I punched myself in the face..." Seeing her reaction, he quickly added, "By accident of course!"

"I'm not going to even ask..." Lucy rested her head in her hands, sighing. Standing up, not forgetting to make sure her towel is still on tightly, Lucy extended her hand out to Natsu. "You wanted me to help, didn't you?"

Gratefully, Natsu accepted her offer and grabbed her hand, feeling a shock as they made contact. Apparently, that shock in movies is supposed to mean that you've met 'the one' but unfortunately, it was static... and it stung.

"OW!" Lucy pulled back her hand to her chest, rubbing her hand furiously.

"That wasn't my fault..."

"Well whose fault is it going to be when you're stuck on the ground?" Lucy looked up victoriously, like she had won the 'fight'.

"Just help me up already!"

Recklessly, Natsu grabbed Lucy's hand without warning and pulled on it, aiming to pull himself up but failed... miserably. In saying that, his actions resulted him in pulling the wrong person... the wrong way...

"Kya!" Lucy squeezed her eyes shut.

 _No way is this happening... fuck everything. I can't open my eyes. If I do... oh no! I can already feel myself blushing! Why is he so warm...? AND WHY DOES HE HAVE TO SLEEP HALF NAKED?! I'm just lucky it wasn't the other half... SCREW THIS SHOUJO MANGA CLICHE!_

Cautiously, Lucy opened one eye and regretted ever doing so. She was right and lo and behold, it was glorious.

(A/N Is that how you use 'lo and behold' in a sentence? I have no clue...)

It wasn't like Lucy hadn't seen his abs before but it was so different when she was on it. Ok, that sounded wrong. Rephrase! Natsu's abs felt warm against her skin, much like her cheeks as she stared at it, not knowing what to do, her bare legs making contact with the sides of his stomach which were also comfortingly warm. Ok that started out alright and went downhill... it still sounds so sexual! Ahem. Lucy looked down and noticed she was practically straddling him, even though she was glad she had pushed herself off of Natsu's toned pecks as soon as she made contact with them. ARGH! The rage! The almost smut! It still sounds like they're about to make babies... I give up!

"Ahem... I think I'm going to go outside now... to play games... and leave you two... together... in the same room... basically nude... ok bye!" Haruto sprinted out of the room as if he was the Flash.

Trying to hide her blush with her hands, Lucy swung her leg over Natsu, now completely off of him and sat nervously off to the side.

 _WHY DIDN'T YOU GET OFF SOONER?! ARE YOU STUPID?! I COULD'VE AVOIDED ALL OF THIS! But... to think about it... Natsu didn't push me off either..._

Looking up at the said boy, she noticed the tinge of pink on his cheeks as he continuously licked his dry lips. Lucy assumed it was a habit of his when he was nervous.

The male cleared his throat multiple times and soon found the courage to look at his best friend who was gripping her towel so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.

Suddenly, out of literally nowhere, the blonde slapped him. The sound echoed in their ears and Lucy looked down at her hand in shock, as if she didn't even know what she had done.

"Oh my God..." She breathed out.

"What was that for?! Instead of sitting there, say you're sorry!" Natsu rubbed his cheek as he pouted.

Like a switch, something clicked in Lucy's head.

"You know why I slapped you?!"

"No... if I did, then I wouldn't tell you to say sorry..."

"It was a rhetorical question!" She fumed.

"A... what question?" Natsu scratched his head, much like a comic book character.

"Never mind... I slapped you cause you made me fall down! You pulled me... onto you..." Lucy whispered the last part.

"Well it was your fault you weren't paying attention to pull **me** up." Natsu defended.

"Don't blame this on me! I'm leaving... and you can stay on the ground." Getting up and making sure the back of the towel was down, Lucy made her way to the door. Like lightening, Natsu grabbed her wrist and Lucy looked at him in alarm. "Don't you dare pull me down again..." She warned.

"I won't. Just help me out here. Pass me the crutches. Please?"

Giving up, Lucy trudged over to the strangely shaped objects leaning on the wall and threw them at him before turning on her heal to leave. As Lucy bounced down the stairs, a voice at the top rang in her ears, making her smile.

"What would I do without you? Thanks Luce."

Turning around, Natsu was resting on his crutches at the top of the stairs, smiling brightly.

* * *

 _Ring, ring. Ring, ring. Ring, ri-_

"Hello...?" Lucy cautiously answered. She had stared at the caller ID for several seconds before she picked up.

 _Who is this? Did they call the wrong number or what?_

"Hello?" Lucy repeated.

Abruptly, a voice she never thought she would hear rang in her ears.

"Lucy dear. How are you?"

All of sudden, the female began shaking, Natsu looking at her.

"Luce? Are you ok?" Walking over, he gave her a questioning look.

Her eyes filled with tears and her face etched with fear. Lucy shook her head as she dropped to the ground, sobbing. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and rushed over.

"Natsu... No... I... I can't!"

"You can't what Lucy? Tell me."

Natsu picked up the phone and placed it to his ear, listening for any other noise besides the slight static.

"Lucy? Are you still there?" A deep voice asked.

"Who is this?" Natsu felt as though he could blast a hole through the phone.

"Oh? A man? I hope Lucy has an explanation for this. She knows the consequences."

"Consequences... Who the hell are you?!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Why is my daughter with such a vulgar man?"

Although they couldn't see each other, Natsu could feel the caller smirk, almost snigger.

"N-N-Natsu... make it stop... make the pain stop... it's coming back... All of it." Lucy pulled at her now blonde again hair as she rocked back and forth on the floor, tears streaming like a waterfall. Levy caressed her back comfortingly.

Like a light switch, Natsu knew exactly who he was talking to. "Look here you bastard. If you want to get to your 'precious' daughter, don't be a coward about it. I know you know that I'll be there to protect Lucy so you're scared aren't you? You're scared that I'm going to whoop your sorry ass, aren't you? Without your stupid security guards with you anymore, you're nothing. Without all that money, you're nothing. I swear on my life that I'll protect Lucy! If you want her to get all your stupid money back, you're going to have to go through me... and her friends." After Natsu's little rant, he felt victorious.

"Please excuse me but I have reason to believe that Sting Eucliffe has paid you a visit, no?"

"Why do you ask?"

"At the moment, he is held hostage with me. I commanded him to do one job: find Lucy and report back. He has obviously failed as I had someone watch him for me. Sting! Give them a greeting." There was a small pause before muffled shouting was heard and then a thud. "His mother is also here as well. She humiliated me and was the one that let my wealth go down the drain. It's not only your life in danger, but everyone else's as well. If you don't want them to get hurt, Lucy **will** come to the park on Banksia Lane in Magnolia at midday tomorrow. If you don't... **you** know the consequences, don't you?" There was another pause before Jude spoke again. "Natsu Dragneel."

In shock, Natsu stepped back a little, bumping into a shelf.

"Y-y-you... you!"

"My apologies for being so rude to a stranger, let alone a measly peasant, however I will not take back a word."

"How dare you threaten me!" Natsu exclaimed into the poor pink phone.

Erza and Gray darted their eyes over to Natsu in alarm.

"Who is threatening who...?" Erza asked through clenched teeth.

"Listen here you dick. Lucy is going to be there tomorrow but she's not going to be alone. No one's going to get hurt except you."

"Those are some powerful words Natsu Dragneel. However, they are simply empty threats."

Suddenly, Natsu's ears perked up as he heard something. It almost sounded like a whistle. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as Natsu screamed the last thing anyone would've guessed he would say.

"GET DOWN!"

A small pellet left a whole in the window, cracking it slightly. As Natsu moved to the side, he wasn't fast enough to get away unscathed. Landing on the floor as he gripped his bleeding arm tightly, Natsu heard Jude chuckle.

"This is simply a warning Natsu Dragneel. You better stay out of my way." Jude said something at the end but Natsu didn't want to hear it.

"Natsu!" Wendy rushed to his side to examine his wound.

"It's just a flesh wound Wendy... don't worry about it." Everyone let out a sigh in relief.

Wendy began bandaging it up with things from her first aid kit as Gray looked at the broken window.

"There was someone there... watching us. A sniper I presume." Gray pointed at an open window from the house across the street.

"That's impossible. An old woman lives there." Erza commented.

"She's in Italy to visit her grandchildren. That bastard's lackeys must've broken in." Natsu sighed as he remembered the last thing Jude had said before the line went silent. It worried him to no end.

" _I'm coming for her."_

* * *

 **Oh shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit! He's coming guys! See what happens in the next chappie!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey guys! The end of this fanfic is nearing! Just a few episodes left and it's the end. It's sad, I know. As corny as this might sound, I enjoyed writing this story so much and I know some of you guys (some) liked reading it. Love you guys heaps! Anyways, without further ado, here is the next chapter!** **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer - I don't own Fairy Tail one bit**

* * *

"Lucy... Are you sure about this?" Natsu asked with his eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah... I think so. It was always inevitable but I've avoided it for all these years. I'm bound to face him sooner or later." The blonde took in deep breaths as she stretched her arms over her head.

"Well he won't be able to do anything to you." Erza smiled as she gave her the thumbs up.

"Thank you so much guys. You don't understand how much this means to me."

"It's nothing really! Juvia is just happy she can help!"

"Same as all of us Lu-chan! We want to protect you." Levy looked at the watch rested on her wrist and let out a shaky breath. "It's 10:30. We should probably get going."

"N-N-Natsu-nii? Can we please go over the plan again? I just need to make sure I remember every detail." Wendy had an unsettling feeling at the pit of her stomach, she usually went with her hunches but today, she had no choice but to ignore it.

"Alright. So Lucy will have an ear piece so you guys can talk to her and everyone else has a walkie talkie. Romeo and Haruto, you guys are set a few houses down from the park and will alert us if you see any suspicious people watching Lucy or really buff guys standing around. Also warn us when you see Jude of course." Natsu paused and waited till everyone had caught up. "Gray, Wendy and Juvia, you guys will be set at the playground, across from where Lucy is and will play as a family and their child on the swings or something. Just watch them carefully and any other people that come." The pink-haired male turned to look at his other friends. "Gajeel and Levy, you two will be sitting on a bench nearby. Go get some ice cream or quickly go to the shops so it looks like you've been somewhere and stopped for a rest. Make it look casual. Got it?" They bother nodded seriously although they were both blushing. "Finally, Erza and Jellal. You two will be in a house directly across from where Lucy will be. It's just Cana's house so make yourselves at home. Go to an upstairs window and keep an eye on Luce. Everyone, keep your walkie talkies with you. Levy? Time check please?"

"It's 10:32. Let's go. It'll be safer to go early, otherwise he'll be already there and will see us coming."

"We shouldn't go as a group then. You guys should take the inside roads there but different ones. Some of you should walk and other's drive and whatnot." Gray suggested.

"Sounds good. Let's get going."

* * *

Lucy and Natsu walked around the park in silence, waiting for when the time would come. It was only a measly 5 minutes away till Lucy's destiny was decided for her once again.

"Hey Luce... what if... what if Jude is already there? I've got to go hide in Cana's house with Erza and Jellal." Natsu wondered.

"My fa- Jude is never early. Not once in my whole life was he ever early. He was a horrible person and I always thought he wanted to arrive last because he thought he was important or something. It was only a guess though." Lucy shrugged.

"Let's drop you off. I don't want to take any chances."

They started walking towards the end of the park, passing Juvia, Gray and Wendy at the playground and then Levy and Gajeel snuggled on the bench with a book. They walked across a very small oval and made it to the street, seeing Cana's house.

"You can go now Natsu. I'll just be here on this bench." Lucy gestured to the wooden plank.

Natsu grabbed hold of Lucy's arm, gripping tightly, his eyes covered with his bangs. "Be careful... Ok Luce?" Looking up, Lucy noticed his eyes begin to water. "I don't know what I would do without you by my side. I know it sounds cheesy but Luce, I wouldn't be able to stand it. You're my best friend, partner in crime and the one that helps me fight my battles. Just... if you feel like you're in any danger at all, give us a holler and we'll come running."

"Natsu..." Lucy shrugged off his hands and wrapped her arms warmly around his body. "Why did you have to go say that...? I know you'll be there to help me fight my battles too... every single one because you're stubborn like that."

"That's the pan calling the bowl black!" Natsu exclaimed, stepping back to point at her.

"It's 'the pot calling the kettle black'." The blonde facepalmed.

"Ok I've got to get going. I'll be watching you Luce." The male looked dead serious.

"Don't give me that creepy look with that creepy line! Go!" Lucy pushed him out onto the road, smiling as he walked into the house.

* * *

Jude looked at the newspaper in his hands, examining the articles that perked his interest. Looking at his expensive watch – which he had kept from when he was still wealthy – and jumped up from his seat.

"It's only 12:08? It couldn't hurt to wait a little longer. Lucy knows what I'm like." With that, Jude sat back down and picked up the paper from the ground, resuming his reading.

Jude was actually a mere thirty seconds away from Lucy. He was waiting in a small house right next to the park.

* * *

 _Lucy? Can you hear me?_ (Natsu)

"Yeah I can. I told you he wouldn't be early..."

 _Guys! Guys! Someone's coming!_ (Haruto)

 _What do they look like?_ (Jellal)

 _They're robed... I can't tell you anything more than that, sorry._ (Romeo)

"Sting? It couldn't be... he's held hostage... But then... could it be?" Remembering back to what Sting had said to her, shivers ran up her spine.

' _Someone that doesn't want you to know who they are, yet, helped me.'_

Suddenly, footsteps sounded in her ears and Lucy looked up to see the robed figure in the distance.

 _Guys... isn't this the 'suspicious people' we were talking about? Is it Jude or is it one of his lackeys?_ (Gray)

 _No. It's definitely not Jude and they aren't buff enough to be one of his guards. The way they walk... It's almost like it's a female..._ (Levy)

"A... female?" Unconsciously, Lucy rubbed her ear as the metal irritated her.

 _She's coming towards you Lucy. Be careful. She's getting close._ (Erza)

 _Just act like you haven't seen her. Focus on something else. Hopefully they'll walk straight passed you._ (Jellal)

"O-o-ok..."

Lucy quickly pulled out her phone from her pocket and randomly started scrolling through her camera roll, pretending like she was on social media, scrolling through her feed when in actuality; she didn't have any data in the first place.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over Lucy and her friends' voices filled her ear but she kept her head down.

 _Lucy! Do something!_

 _I'm coming to save you!_

 _Me too!_

 _What do you want us to do?!_

 _Lucy-san!_

 _Guys! We have to save her!_

 _Look up and see who it is Lucy! Don't be afraid!_

 _WAIT! The person doesn't look like a threat... just yet... they aren't doing anything so we shouldn't either. If we act recklessly, we'll blow our cover._

 _Ok going back now, watch Lucy guys_

In Lucy's head, she really wanted to scream at everyone for giving her a headache. Then, as if it were magic, all the pain was gone with three words from the one person she never thought it would come from.

Tears dropped onto the ground and a hand appeared in front of her face.

"I'm sorry Lucy..."

* * *

 **Who is this mysterious person?! What is this person sorry for?! And why?! Guys find out next chapter! Thanks for reading!**


	22. Chapter 22

**A lot of things happen in this chapter so let's just sit back and enjoy the ride... Oh and just warning you now, it's another cliffy! Hehe**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer - I don't own Fairy Tail!**

* * *

" _I'm sorry Lucy..."_

Slowly, Lucy lifted her head up, her eyes widening.

The robed figure grabbed their hood and pulled it back, revealing their identity. Lucy stood up and began to tremble.

"Hello darling. You've grown up so much." The woman touched Lucy's cheek as if she thought it wasn't real.

 _Lucy?_

 _Do you want us to come?_

 _Are you in danger?_

 _Who is it?_

 _What's happening?_

"M-m-m-m-mama?" Lucy felt a lump in her throat grow and grow.

"That's right honey. I'm here..." The woman wiped her tears and smiled.

 _You're mother? I thought she..._

 _Lucy...? Are you ok?_

 _Do you need me there Lu-chan?_

 _Lucy watch out! There's someone else behind her_

 _Be careful!_

"H-how? How are you alive? And... and why did you leave me alone?" Lucy stepped away from her mother, feeling overwhelmed.

"Lucy... I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean for anything like that to happen. I'm sorry." Layla grabbed Lucy's hands and held onto them tightly. "I never wanted to leave you but I had no choice. Please, don't be mad at me."

"How could I not be?! You left me all alone to suffer... at such a young age too..."

"I understand why you would blame me for this and I know it's too late to apologise." Layla let go and stood there as the slight wind moved around her blonde hair.

"Lucy. I must say, when you left over 10 years ago, I was quite proud of you." An orange haired male in a robe with a suit on the inside stepped out and smiled.

"Loke? Loke!" Lucy ran and hugged him tightly. "Loke... I thought... I thought that you were gone after Jude became bankrupt. I'm so glad you're ok..."

"Right after you left, I gathered the others and went to go find Lady Layla. Instead, she found us. Later on, we came in contact with Sir Sting and he told us about the engagement as Jude left us in the dark. He helped us quite a bit." Loke explained.

"Oh... that's good then." Lucy turned to her mother. "Mama? I'm sorry for getting angry at you... It's just... I thought you-"

"You thought I abandoned you? I'm sorry..." Layla let her head drop.

"It's not Lady Layla's fault Lucy. It's all Jude's fault." Loke defended.

"Isn't it always...?"

* * *

Jude look at his watch and shrugged.

"Lucy has waited long enough."

The older male stood up and strode over to the door and opened it carefully, peering outside. Quickly, Jude shut the door, eyes wide.

"Layla is alive? And she's here?" A sadistic smile spread across his cheek. "Perfect. Killing two birds with one bullet."

* * *

"I... I just... I thought you died... Most of my life was a lie... I can't believe this though, it's like a dream. I feel so numb. I always thought you abandoned me." Lucy felt the tears run down her cheeks.

 _Luce...? Do you need me there...?_

 _Are you ok?_

 _We're here for you Lucy..._

"I know honey... I know. I can't apologise enough for leaving you to suffer."

"Please... at least tell me how this can be? What happened?" Lucy sat down on the bench and gestured for Layla to sit down as well.

The older woman cautiously took a seat and sighed. "Well... as you know, your father and I met at a small merchant guild called Love and Lucky and that's how we found a name for you. He was such a nice person and really kind and generous. Then, he wanted to start a business and of course I was supportive about it. As the business became successful and we earned a lot of money, the Heartfilia name became well known in the wealthy community and we soon bought the mansion. Then... something clicked in Jude's mind. He became a deranged and greedy man. Money changed him. From the moment I met your father, I always saw something was buried beneath all that happiness. He didn't know he had it until money meant everything. He just wanted more and more of it... I didn't know what to do. This all happened in a short amount of time too. When we left the guild, I was already pregnant with you so he changed drastically in around 6 months." Layla shook her head as the memories came back to her, the memories she tried so hard to forget.

"Mama..." Lucy's voice felt and sounded soft, like she was 7 all over again.

"No Lucy. It's ok. It's about time you know. I know you don't want to dwell in the past but you have to know what happened."

"It's ok Mama... I understand."

"Well. After I gave birth to you and he found out you were a girl, the stress got to him. He was hoping for a son to help the business but instead, we got given a beautiful daughter." Layla touched Lucy's cheek once more before continuing. "As soon as you were born, Jude went searching for a wealthy family that had had a son that year or a couple years earlier. He had shortlisted a few."

"So... an arranged marriage for me was planned as soon as I was born? Did you have a say in this?" Lucy asked.

"No, not really. I told him I wanted you to marry someone you love, much like me. He obviously declined the idea. The stress of running such a business with the high expectations got to him and he started drinking. He quickly became an alcoholic as it drained away all the pain. I told him not to. I tried to stop Jude but to avail. Then, he became abusive... to me."

Lucy's eyes widened. "You too...? I didn't think he would do such a thing..."

"You were around 3 or so and he wanted to beat you, to let out his anger. He thought that if he was abusive to you that it didn't matter because you wouldn't remember. I got in his way and told him no. That's when he beat me instead. I wanted to run, I tried to run. I remember specifically one day in April I lied and told him I was going on a small conference meeting."

(A/N A small reference to Your Lie in April! Kinda... But omg that anime is so fricken sad! I don't understand...)

"What happened?"

"Well, I tried running away with you. You were too young to remember of course but I needed to keep you safe. But, of course, he found me. That night in April, I got the worst beating of my life. It was to warn me that if I ever tried to run again. So I did. I planned everything out perfectly and it was flawless. But Jude never made the same mistake twice and had his agents on me at all times. That my last straw. Do you remember how I had cancer?" Layla looked at her daughter seriously.

"Yeah?"

"It wasn't cancer. Jude poisoned me and only told you it was cancer. I remember being so weak and I was in bed for months. I don't know if you remember this, but one day, I heard him tell you I was going to 'chemotherapy'. I knew what he was planning just from that. As he wheeled me to the car and I drove off, I knew that was the last time I was ever going to see the house, the servants, Plue and you ever again. Before we left, I took all the things I needed like things passed down from our ancestors and whatnot." Layla explained.

"Father said you died from cancer. He said you quit chemotherapy because you knew it wasn't working and it was no use. He said... you gave up... he said, you were too weak to even open your eyes. He lied to me... everything he said."

"Yes. He did lie. He planned to kill me in a car accident. I assumed so that he could cover my body and the evidence in the flames. It didn't work. I saw it coming and jumped out of the car before impact. I'm sorry Lucy... I knew what he would do to you since I wasn't there to protect you. I'm sorry... I... I just couldn't go back. I had nothing. I was weak, lying on the road bleeding and nearly engulfed in flames. An older woman helped me and I remained weak for months. The poison really did a good job at keeping me down."

Lucy grabbed a fistful of her skirt and gripped it tightly. "I... I never knew."

"You weren't supposed to..."

"I'm glad you didn't come back. If you did, we wouldn't be here now. I wouldn't have met my friends and father would've probably killed you. If you came back, everything would be different. This wouldn't have been my destiny to come to Magnolia." Lucy released her grip and sighed.

"I agree. However, I still don't exactly blame Jude for turning abusive."

"How could you not? He hurt us Mama!"

"I know! I know..."

"He lied to me! He would tell me that the reason he drank and the reason he beat me was because he was so heartbroken that you had died! I understood how he felt so somehow seeing his reasoning made it better. But it was just a lie! How could you forgive him?" Lucy stood up.

"I never said I would forgive him." Layla stood up as well, grabbing hold of Lucy's hands. "I never said that. But I just... he grew up in an abusive family. Since it was always with him, I guess it made its way through to adulthood."

"Mama... I'm sorry but I don't care. It doesn't matter anymore. He hurt us and for that, there can be no excuses. It was no accident."

"Of course not. How about we go meet your friends? I would love to meet your boyfriend."

"Who? Mama! I don't have a boyfriend!" Lucy looked at her mother in alarm.

"Dear Loke has been telling me that you have become acquainted with a boy with pink hair and a scarf." Layla smirked.

"Natsu?!"

"Oh! So he is your boyfriend?"

 _Yes Luce? You called?_

"No! No way! He's just a friend!"

"From the way you're reacting Lucy, he seems like more than a friend."

Lucy began blushing as she remembered about her friends listening in.

"You haven't changed Mama..." The blonde smiled.

"Why would I?"

The couple walked towards the bare street towards the house. Then, Layla stopped them.

"Mama? What's wrong?"

"Do you remember what I used to say to you? You were very young so I won't be surprised if you don't."

"No. I remember. I definitely will never forget." Lucy closed her eyes, feeling the tears arise once more. "You used to tell me that 'there's nothing fortunate about having your fate decided for you, you have to grab your own happiness.' I remember..." Opening her eyes, she saw her mother sobbing. "Mama? Are you ok?"

"I love you so much Lucy... Just... just seeing you mature and seeing how much you've grown brings tears to my eyes... obviously. I regret not being able to be there for your whole life till now. I'm sorry..."

"Mama... it doesn't matter how many times you say sorry. It won't change the past." Lucy hugged her mother tightly and noticed that Loke had gone. "Where did Loke go...?"

Layla turned around and scanned the area. "I'm not sure honey. He most likely went to go get some ice cream."

"Or he went to go pick up some girls."

The two women laughed.

Suddenly, a deep and sinister voice spoke from behind then.

"Don't. Move."

"LUCY!" Natsu cried as he jumped out of the window.

There was a scream, followed by a gunshot.


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey guys! This chapter is a little... drama packed... let's put it like that. It's dramatic, spine-shivering, depressing, surprising, goosebump-activating, bittersweet and an overall emotional rollercoaster. So... I've warned you now, please be prepared and don't kill me. I'm so sorry for doing this to you guys but to be honest, I hope you like it anyway!** **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer - I obviously don't own Fairy Tail!**

* * *

 _Suddenly, a deep and sinister voice spoke from behind then._

" _Don't. Move."_

" _LUCY!" Natsu cried as he jumped out of the window._

 _There was a scream, followed by a gunshot._

Hold on. Let's rewind a bit.

* * *

Lying on the floor, Natsu sighed for the millionth time.

"I'm so bored!" He whined.

"Deal with it. We're not here for you. We're here for Lucy." Erza scolded.

"I know that!"

"Be quite Natsu!" Jellal hushed. "They are having a touching moment here."

"Well I'm bored s-" Natsu sat up and gulped.

"Is something the matter?"

Grabbing his walkie talkie, Natsu looked for the correct frequency before he started blabbering.

"R-R-R-Romeo? H-h-h-have you seen anyone?"

 _Natsu-nii? No I haven't. This place is like how it always is: empty. Why do you ask?_

Running to the window and sticking his head out, Natsu's eys darted everywhere.

"Natsu? Natsu!" Jellal called.

"Yeah...?"

"What's the matter? What's happening?"

"I hear someone coming and I smell them... but I don't understand why I can't see them. Where are they hiding...?"

 _Salamander? Do you smell them?_

"Damn right I do... Can you see anything?" Natsu asked.

 _I think the bastard is playing hide and seek..._

(A/N So they can't see him because he's like sneaked out of his little house and is creeping around like a stalker, hiding behind stuff)

"Go warn the others Gajeel. I think the coward has finally shown."

 _Got it._

Natsu watched as Gajeel turned around and waved at Gray, Juvia and Wendy at the swing sets as he talked into his walkie talkie.

In the corner of Natsu's eye, something glistened in the sun, making him flinch. Moving his gaze towards the distraction, his world seemed to go into slow motion.

"Guys!" Natsu screamed into the walkie talkie, making everyone turn to look at the road.

"Don't. Move." The deep voice demanded.

Natsu threw the walkie talkie as he jumped out of the window, screaming for his life. "LUCY!"

The two blondes directed their attention at the oppressor behind them.

"NO!"

The sudden sound of a single bullet released out of the gun ripped through Natsu's ears as he landed, the noise echoing and burning his ears. The overwhelming scent of blood wafted up his nose, setting it ablaze.

Without even looking up, Natsu charged at the shooter and tackled him to the ground. Following these actions, the male began recklessly punching Jude's face, blood now staining his knuckles. Tears streamed down his face as he smashed his fist down onto the man's bleeding and broken face.

Two sets of arms wrapped around his own as Natsu was pulled back.

"NO! Let go of me!" Natsu thrashed about, kicking the empty space in front of him.

"Natsu!"

The male finally stopped and his two friends, Gray and Jellal, let him go. Natsu sank into the floor, feeling weak.

Lucy slowly opened her eyes and felt the gravel of the road on her legs. Looking down at her attire, blood was splattered everywhere. Lucy looked at her shaking, bloody hands as fear swept over her. Then, it hit her. She wasn't the one that had gotten shot.

"Mama... Mama?" Tears pooled in her eyes as Lucy crawled over to her mother, cradling her in her arms. "Mama!"

Layla opened her eyes. "Lucy..."

Lucy gripped her blouse as hard as she could, digging her nails into the palms of her hand.

"Mama... Why...? Why did you save me?! Why did you push me out of the way?!"

"Y-you know why..."

"Say it... Just say it! I need to hear you say it..." Lucy held her mother's hand and saw the blood pooling on her torso.

 _She won't make it... not with that kind of wound..._

"I love you Lucy."

Lucy let her shoulders drop as she lifted her head up, tears falling.

A raspy voice quietly mumbled something and then smiled, making everyone's blood boil.

"My agents could never get the job done. The only person I can trust is me."

Loke confidently walked over to Jude and stopped abruptly.

"You are an absolutely despicable bastard." The orange haired male began kicking his sides, tears falling.

"Loke... stop... you're just as bad as he is if you continue." Layla gave a weak smile, holding onto life by a thin thread.

"Mama... Don't speak. We can save you." Lucy looked over at Juvia who was on the phone.

"Lucy... you know as well as I do that there is not future for me."

"NO! No! No... Don't say that..." The blonde hugged the weak body tightly, as if she was going to disappear.

"Lucy... you're getting your clothes dirty... let go of me. It's going to be such a hassle to wash later on."

"I don't care about that! I don't understand how you're so calm about everything! I don't understand how you don't question anything. I just... I don't understand!" Lucy cried.

"Most of the time, you don't get to know what you're missing or even that you're missing anything, that's not your role. So if your role here is not to understand, then what is it?" Layla asked.

(A/N Anyone get the reference to the Beginner's Guide? Hehe)

"I don't know Mama... this isn't the time for riddles and games..."

"Your role is to accept." Layla opened her mouth to speak again but quickly placed her hand on her torso, breathing hard.

"Excuse me Ma'am... I would advise you to use this to keep pressure on the wound." Wendy presented Layla with her thin jacket in which the older woman shook her head slowly.

"I'm not going to make it anyway and I've come to terms with that."

Lucy started to feel her mother's life slip away as she tried so hard to grasp that fact.

"Mama... No... I can't lose you. I've already lost you once before... please don't make me go through that pain again... Please!"

"This time is different. This time, you won't be going through the pain alone. Look around darling, you have so many people supporting you. I'm proud of you." Layla looked up at the sky and wished that she could see the stars one last time. Snapping back into reality, the woman looked at Lucy. "Come here Lucy... come closer..."

Lucy dropped her head lower and Layla whispered something into her ear, making her eyes go wide. Then, Lucy sat up straight and nodded.

"You're right."

Suddenly, Layla's hand dropped to the floor, her eyelids feeling heavy.

"Lucy dear... I feel so weak..."

"Mama?! MAMA!" Lucy eyes flooded with tears once more as she shook violently.

Natsu crawled over to Lucy, and stopped behind her, biting the inside of his cheek.

"PLEASE! NO! DON'T DO THIS TO ME! MAMA! I BEG YOU! Please... I love you Mama... I love you so much... don't leave me... DON'T LEAVE ME HERE ALONE!"

"Lucy... Ja mata ne..." Layla sighed and let her eyelids close, everything going numb.

(A/N Ja mata ne means 'see you later' as in Layla wants to see her soon... like... she is able to...)

"NO! MAMA! No! No... What do I do?!" Lucy exclaimed, her eyes as wide as plates.

"You accept." Natsu's throat felt dry as he let the words slip out of his mouth.

Lucy turned her head to look at her best friend, slightly surprised at how close he was but extremely grateful.

"I'm sorry Natsu... I'm sorry you had to be here..."

"I promised, didn't I? You never have to fight alone." Natsu opened his arms and Lucy collapsed into them, sobbing into his chest.

"Is this a nightmare...? Nothing feels real anymore. I can't feel my body. I can't move. I can't stop crying." Lucy gripped onto his shirt for dear life, her knuckles turning white.

"I... uh... Luce..."

"You don't have to say anything..." Lucy clenched her jaw as tears continued to fall, no matter how many times she wiped them away.

"Let's go home."

"H-h-huh...?"

Without warning, Natsu proceeded to pick Lucy up into his arms, carrying her in a way known to brides. The blonde didn't bother to protest as she knew it was useless so instead, Lucy rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes.

"I'm going to go take Luce home."

"I shall explain to the police what has happened. Make sure she gets some rest. Understood?" Erza raised her eyebrow.

"I know, I know. You want to come home or stay here Haruto?"

"We'll bring him home later. You just worry about Lu-chan." Levy looked at her best friend with worry.

Nodding and glancing back at Layla's limp body, Natsu sighed and began walking. Looking down at Lucy, her cheeks were stained with tears and her nose was slightly red.

Suddenly, her eyes fluttered open making Natsu flinch in surprise.

"What's the matter?"

"My mother is quite fond of you. She believes that you'll always protect me and she's right. Thank you... for everything you do for me..."

 _Why am I speaking about Mama like she's still here? Stupid Lucy... messing up yet again._

"The only thing I **can** do is protect my friends." Natsu sighed and looked down at her. "You should get some rest. You've had a hard day."

Lucy looked at her blood stained hands and scrunched her fists into a ball, resting it on her chest. Closing her eyes, the blonde drifted into a slumber, the slight bounce of Natsu's walking soothing her worries.

"Thank you..."

Glancing down at Lucy in shock, Natsu smiled, his eyes making their way to her scared arm.

"I'll try my best to protect you. That's a promise."

Loke stood watching behind a tree, his arms crossed and a sorrowful smile across his lips.

"Take care Princess. Lady Layla will always be watching over you and so will I."

* * *

Lucy opened her eyes and everything was dark, the edges of her vision slightly blurred white.

"Is it night already...? Natsu! Natsu! Where are you?" Lucy called out.

In the corner of her eye, a figure approached her. The blonde quickly turned her head as her eyes widened.

"Lucy. Natsu's not always going to be there for you. You have to learn to fight your own battles." Layla appeared from the darkness and looked at her daughter sternly.

"M-m-m-mama...? I thought you... How?"

"That's not the question you should be asking."

"Then what is the question?"

"Why did you let me die?"

Lucy's eyes went wide as her body began trembling. Breathing quickly, the blonde jumped out of her comfy bed and made a run for it. She didn't know where she was going or why she was tiring so quickly but those factors didn't matter.

"Where are you going Lucy? Running away from the inevitable again?" Layla appeared in front of her.

Screaming, Lucy ran in another direction, looking forward into the darkness. It seemed like she was running in one spot.

"Why won't you answer me?" Layla grabbed onto Lucy's wrist. "Why would you run away from your own mother? Why would you let me die?"

Lucy pulled her arm back and fell backwards slightly, closing her eyes shut. "WHY DON'T YOU JUST GO AWAY?!"

Realising her mistake, Lucy snapped open her eyes to see that she was standing in the middle of a meadow, golden grassland. Looking around, two figures caught her eyes and Lucy started running again.

Seeing the pink and blonde hair, Lucy tried running faster but it seemed as if they were getting further and further away. As the blonde started to fall, her arm extended out, tears streaming down her face.

"NATSU!"

Their heads turned and then suddenly, they disappeared and turned into cherry blossom petals, swirling away in the wind.

Lucy crawled into a ball and cried, not daring to open her eyes.

"Lucy. Nothing lasts forever." Layla quietly whispered into her ear as she rubbed Lucy's head.

"I don't care!" Lucy slapped her hand away, standing up straight.

"What are you going to do then?"

"I'm going to keep my head held high and... accept." Lucy looked up at the grey and cloudy sky, tears and rain running down her cheeks. "I'm going to accept."

Layla's face softened. "And why is that?"

Lucy closed her eyes, tears pouring out as she remembered what Natsu had said to her. "Some people will tell you that 'everything happens for a reason' but it isn't necessarily your job to find those reasons. Sometimes the best thing to do is accept... and move on."

"That's right honey. Destiny will have its way with you if you allow it." Layla placed her hand on Lucy's cheeks, lightly brushing away her falling tears. "Welcome it with open arms."

The rain was pouring hard on Lucy's face but she didn't care.

 _I love walking in the rain cause no one can see me crying. I guess that's why Juvia loves this weather so much..._

Lucy opened her eyes to blurriness and a dark figure looming over her, the background a soft white.

"-cy! Lucy! Luce? Are you awake?! Can you hear me?" Natsu's concerned voice asked.

"Huh?" Lucy rubbed her eyes as she sat up in her bed, wincing at her throbbing head. "You're giving me a headache Natsu... this is no way to wake someone up..." Rubbing her face, Lucy noticed her cheeks were wet and glanced down at her pillow to only see tear stains, confirming her suspicions.

"Are you ok Luce?"

"Why... why did you wake me up?"

"I was asleep over there on your chair and my ears picked up something. When I woke up, you were crying like crazy and you whole body was trembling. I thought you were having a seizure or something! I tried to wake you up but I couldn't. I had been trying for a bit now and I was so relieved when you finally opened your eyes." Natsu explained as he sighed. "What happened?"

"I... I had a major nightmare... It wasn't the kind that had monsters and stuff... the worst kinds of nightmares are the most realistic ones. It was my mother... and you."

"Me...? What did I do to you...?"

"Nothing... you just... disappeared from me, left me. But that doesn't matter." Lucy breathed out a sigh as she looked out the window, noticing the cloudy, grey and rainy sky. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Uh... a while. Maybe 5 hours tops." Natsu looked out the window, sticking his hand out so that the rain splattered on his skin.

"Hey Natsu?" Lucy tugged on the end of his scarf.

"Hm?"

"Let's go for a walk."

"Huh? It's raining though!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Exactly."

 _I love walking in the rain cause no one can see me crying... it's a full proof plan..._

* * *

 **So... uh... yea... that happened. That just happened. That last line though... it gets me every time. When I was editing this, the goosebumps were real... breatheeeeeeeee... hope you guys enjoyed/cried/had some bit of emotion! See ya next time!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey guys! Sorry this is a few hours late. I've just been busy with work and study. Well... Enjoy!**

 **Bold is Natsu's thoughts.**

 **Disclaimer - I don't own Fairy Tail and I probably will never will**

* * *

Several months passed and a lot of things happened. Sting and his mother were found and were taken to the hospital, Layla's funeral had been a total blur and Lucy had visited her mother's grave multiple times. Sometimes she would talk to her mother and other times she would just sit there and enjoy the silence as Natsu would sit on a bench a few metres away. Her father had been arrested and was transported to a jail far from Magnolia. Lucy thought that he might end up in Crocus and Yukino would give him a hard time but she quickly dismissed that thought.

Lucy was sitting beside her mother's grave, changing the withered flowers for new ones. Placing the purple tulips into the glass vase, the blonde let her shoulders drop as she looked up into the sky, breathing in the clean air, the scent of flowers wafting up her nose.

Lucy didn't know how long she had been sitting there but there was a tap on her shoulder, making her turn to face Natsu.

"Yeah?"

"We should probably get going. Your shift at the library starts soon."

Lucy looked up at the sky again and noticed that the sun was already high in the sky, the heat burning her skin.

"Ok."

The blonde lifted her arm to Natsu and looked at him expectantly. Natsu pulled her up and they were on their way.

* * *

"Natsu. Natsu. Natsu. Natsu. Natsu."

The male yawned and rolled over, resulting him falling out of the chair and making his best friend laugh.

"SHH!" The old lady at glared at them from behind a bookshelf.

"Sorry... Let's go Natsu!"

Much to Natsu's surprise, Lucy grabbed his wrist and made a run for it. Bursting out of the quiet library and into the bustling street, Lucy took a deep breath in, a smile spread across her cheeks.

"Where to now? Food?"

"Are you paying?" Lucy looked up at him with her puppy eyes.

"I'M BROKE!" The male exclaimed.

"But I have to pay for my rent..."

"So do I!"

"But... but..." Tears pooled at the corners of her eyes as her bottom lip stuck out cutely.

"Fine... You better hurry up though!" Natsu started running as he left Lucy in the dust, screaming profanities.

* * *

After their lunch, Lucy suggested they go to pick up Haruto from Romeo's house. As they walked in the general direction, Lucy thought back to what her mother had whispered to her. No one had heard her and Lucy was grateful for that, it was a little embarrassing.

Suddenly, Lucy stopped walking and closed her eyes, gripping onto her skirt for dear life.

"Luce? What's the matter?"

~ Flashback ~

"Come here Lucy... come closer..."

Lucy dropped her head lower and Layla began whispering something into her ear.

"That boyfriend of yours... Natsu was it? He seems like he'll be by your side forever. Don't take that for granted. Make sure you keep him close to you because nothing lasts forever. I suggest you tell him how you feel before... before it's too late. I can tell you care for him deeply. So let it be known."

"You're right."

~ End of Flashback ~

"Luce?"

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted a little too loudly.

"Y-y-y-yes...? If you're gonna scold me about taking your food it wasn't me!"

"Natsu... Just listen ok?"

"Ok..." Natsu looked around suspiciously.

"Natsu, I... I really like you..." Lucy let out a shaky breath.

"Is that it? Why were you so nervous to tell me that? I like you too of course!"

"R-r-r-really?!" Relief spread across the blonde's face.

"Duh Luce, did you only just realise?"

"Of course I did! We never said anything to each other about it!"

"We didn't? I thought you already knew I liked you. We are best friends after all, I mean, if you were best friends with someone and you didn't like them, what's the point of trusting them with that title?" Natsu shook his head in disbelief.

 _WILL THAT 6-YEAR-OLD BRAIN OF HIS BURN IN THE DEPTHS OF HELL- wait... He didn't misinterpret the meaning of what I said... He just... He just friend zoned me so... subtly... He let me down so easy... How? Why?_

(A/N Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh let me down easy! Let me down easy ohhh before you go! I love that song...)

"So you don't find me as anything more than a friend?"

"Of course I do! I just said it! You're my **BEST** friend! You're even my mega best friend."

"Ugh... Never mind Natsu... Forget I said anything." Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose, frustrated at herself mostly.

"Huh? Why would I forget? I love you too much to forget **any** conversation we have, no matter how stupid... Wow that sounded so mushy and gross and so not me!" Natsu scrunched his face up in disgust.

"Wait... You just said... EHHHH?! Wait... you love me **just** as a friend don't you?"

"Of course I do! And also the other love..."

"The other love...?"

"The kind of love where I want to marry you."

"EHHHHHHHHHHHH?!"

"Oh and while you're freaking out, I also heard what your mother said when she whispered to you... I didn't mean to! But... my ears, you know?" Natsu suddenly appeared right in front of Lucy, all close and embarrassing. "Just so you know, I'm not going anywhere. I'm here to stay."

"Don't say stuff like that!" The blonde blushed bright red and proceeded to hit him several times across the head. Then, like a brick dropped onto her, a thought dawned down onto her. "So wait... what happens now...?"

"I'm your boyfriend and you're my girlfriend. Duh." Natsu shrugged casually.

"But... but..."

"But what? You don't want to be my girlfriend? Fine. I'll just cry myself to sleep." Natsu walked off as he wailed loudly.

"DON'T MOCK ME NATSU DRAGNEEL!" Lucy ran after him as she threw her fists into the air followed by some cursing.

* * *

"Black Steel over to Shrimp, mission accomplished. I repeat mission accomplished. Gihi." Gajeel smirked as a squeal echoed through his ears.

 _THAT'S PERFECT! I KNEW IT! AHHHHHHHHHHHH_

"Shrimp. You're going to lose your voice."

 _I DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT!_

"Well it's true that Salamander and Bunny-girl being together makes you excited but you're getting high on just the thought of it."

 _AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH wait... what do you use those code names for? It's stupid._

"It is not stupid!"

 _Yeah, yeah_

"I'm coming over now to steal your metal plates."

 _AHHHHHHHHHHH- WAIT WHAT?! GAJEEL! When you 'steal' you're not meant to tell the person about it! It defeats the purpose!_

"I have no idea what gibberish you're speaking this time but I don't care."

 _(Sigh) whatever... I left the front door unlocked and I'll be in my room reading. DON'T disturb me._

"Who uses a door nowadays? There's something called a window. Salamander showed it to me and it's way more fun."

 _GAJEEL!_

* * *

A few hours later, Natsu and Haruto arrived home after dropping Lucy off.

"Dad?" The blonde boy tilted his head and looked up at his father.

"Yo." Natsu placed his keys onto a table and rummaged through one of his coats hanging on the wall, trying to find something.

"Dad!" The little boy tugged at his sleeve.

"Yes?" The male turned around and sighed, looking down at his son. "Yes Haruto?"

"Did something happen between you and Lushy? I don't want you to hate her daddy! Please!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Haruto had tears in the corners of his eyes as his bottom lip quivered and stuck out. "You and Lushy weren't talking on the way home… You still have to be her friend Dad! She's all we have!"

"U-u-u-u-uh… Haruto…" Natsu deadpanned.

 **He jumps to conclusions just like his mother does…**

"So…? You didn't have a fight?" His big eyes looked up at him expectantly.

"No, we didn't. Actually, something did happen though." Seeing the little boy's bad reaction, Natsu quickly added, "It was a good something!"

"W-w-w-what happened?"

"Well… me and Luce are more than friends."

"But I thought you were already best friends…" Haruto furrowed his brows.

"More than that."

"Mega best friends?"

"More…" Natsu moved his hand in a circular motion to emphasise the fact that his son needed to keep going.

"You guys are married?! Is Lucy my mama now?!" The little boy squealed as he ran around the house, jumped up and down on the couch and then ran up the stairs to shout out a window and ended with falling down the stairs.

"Haruto!" Running over to check if his son was ok only ended in fits of laughter once he saw the poor boy's hair.

"Hey! Don't laugh at me!" Pouting, the little boy looked away, giving his father the silent treatment.

"Aw come on! Don't be like that!" Natsu stood up as tilted his neck slightly. "And no Haruto. Me and Luce are not married…" Under his breath, the male quietly added, "yet."

"It's Luce and **I** ,dad! Luce and **I**!"

"Yeah, yeah."

"So… what are you guys then?"

"She's mine… duh." The pink-haired male shrugged and went off to the kitchen to get some food.

"I don't understand…" The blonde boy slumped into a chair, nestling his chin into his arms.

"Well I don't really either… but she said that we get to hug…"

"But you do that already." Haruto furrowed his brows.

"And she said we get to sleep in the same bed…"

"But you already do that!"

"And she said we get to kiss!" Natsu smiled at that thought.

"Oh! But Lushy kisses me all the time though…" The little boy puffed out his cheeks in concentration.

"I don't know **what** she's talking about. All I know is that we're together! A thing! A couple! She's mine."

"Whatever you say, dad…" Haruto shrugged and jumped off the chair.

As Haruto walked up the stairs, Natsu stayed in the kitchen and smiled to himself. Just thinking about Lucy being his, made butterflies flutter in his stomach.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door which caused the male flinch. Placing down his sandwich, Natsu trudged to the door. What greeted him on the other side made Natsu's jaw drop.

"Lisanna…" The pink-haired male let out a shaky breath.

* * *

 **Hope you guys enjoyed! Finally got some NaLu fluff into here! Anyways, stay tuned for the second last chapter is a couple of days!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer - I don't own Fairy Tail, unfortunately**

* * *

"Natsu. I'm surprised you still remember me." The white-haired female smiled sweetly but her eyes told another story.

"I'm surprised you still remember where I lived."

"Of course I do. Look Natsu. I'm not here to reminisce about us." Lisanna's blue eyes stared at him intently.

"What **are** you here for then?"

"Lexi. Where is she?" Natsu was taken aback by this comment. "I need to speak with her, now."

"W-w-why…?"

All of a sudden, Lisanna's facial expression became dark and serious. "Natsu. She's not who you think she is. She's using you. I'm warning you now, get away from her. You and Haruto will only get hurt. I'm only here to protect you, I still care about you guys so much."

"What are you talking about?!" The male felt heat rise up in his body.

"I'm telling you the truth!"

"So you finally come back after so long and the first thing you do is insult my best friend?! Oh wait no, she's my girlfriend now. How dare you!" Natsu exclaimed.

Hurt filled the girl's eyes. "So you don't believe me? Oh and I guess you've been sleeping with every girl you've met have you? After I broke up with you, this is what you do? Get with a whore?! Look here Natsu! Do you even know who Lucy is?!"

"H-h-huh…? How do you know her name?! Lisanna. Look at me. Who have you been speaking to?" Natsu grabbed onto her arm, holding her firmly in place.

"Let go of me!" Lisanna roughly swung her elbows at Natsu to make him let go.

"Lisanna… when have **I** ever lied to you?"

"I-I-I-I-I…" The female shook her head. "I will not believe a word that comes out of your mouth. You're conspiring with her!"

Natsu was about to speak when suddenly he lifted his head up and moved his ears around. "Lucy's coming."

"I don't care. I need to speak with her anyway."

Before Lisanna could do anything, Natsu shoved her out of the way and ran out into the street, stopping right in front of Lucy.

"Oh! Natsu! Where did you pop out from? I was just about to-" Lucy's eyes drifted behind her boyfriend to see the white-haired girl looking at her. "- come visit…"

"Luce. Look at me."

She looked up at him, her blonde bangs covering her eyes. "I… I guess Lisanna's back."

"It's not like that. It's a long story but you've got to listen to me. It's serious." Natsu tilted her chin up with his finger as he looked into her brown eyes.

"Yes…?"

"I think she might know who you are… No I'm certain. But I don't know who she's been talking to but they have been feeding her lies. She kept insulting you and said that you're using me." Natsu shook his head. "At first, I thought it was jealousy."

"B-b-but… if she did talk to someone… it couldn't have been my father… he's in jail." Lucy lightly shoved her boyfriend out of the way to call out to Lisanna when her eyes grew wide. "Where did she go?"

Natsu turned around.

At the same time, the couple looked at each other and breathed out, "Haruto."

* * *

 _Knock, knock_

"Come in!" Haruto sang as he shuffled the papers in his hands.

As the door opened, it creaked loudly and Lisanna poked her head in. "Haruto!~ It's me!"

The little boy spun the chair around and let his jaw drop.

"Lisanna!" He jumped off the chair and ran to her, jumping into the female's arms.

"How have you been?"

"Good! What are you doing here? Coming to visit?"

"Of course!" Lisanna kept her head low as she looked around cautiously. "Don't tell anyone that I asked you this, but what do you think about Lucy?"

"I really like her! She's really nice and funny and weird and she helps me with my homework and daddy really likes her so that means I like her too! I think she would make a good mama!" Haruto beamed as he smiled cutely.

Lisanna fell back slightly. "W-what made you think that?"

"HARUTO!" Natsu called out as he ran up the stairs, Lucy not far behind.

The male slammed the door open to reveal Haruto in Lisanna's arms.

"Hi daddy! Look! Lisanna's back!"

"Yeah… I know."

"Lisanna, we need a word." Lucy breathed out through tired pants.

Looking back at Haruto, Lisanna kissed him lightly on the head and then stood up and walked out the door.

Lucy closed the door and turned around to glance at the other female.

"Have you explained yourself to Natsu?"

"There is nothing to explain. Your mind is clouded. Someone has told you the wrong information about me."

"That's bogus! Why would someone lie to me…? Especially about something as serious as this!"

"Just tell me, who did you talk to?" Lucy stepped closer to Lisanna, placing her hand on her shoulder.

"I don't know her name… and I barely remember what she looks like. All that I recall is that she had brown hair, she spoke quite formally and she was dressed in a ball gown, which was strange."

"Hikaru…" Lucy let out a long sigh as she rubbed her temples.

"Who?" Natsu tilted his head to the side a little.

"Hikaru. Do you remember that guy that came over a while back? He had blonde hair, blue eyes and a scar across one of his eyebrows."

The pink-haired male slowly nodded his head. "I think so… You guys seemed pretty close."

"Yeah. Him. The lady, that I'm assuming that Lisanna is talking about, is his mother. I'm guessing she's going around and spreading lies about me. But why?"

"I think she's blaming you for what Jude did. She probably thinks it's all your fault."

"Wait… what's going on here?" Lisanna inquired, her face scrunched up in confusion.

"A lot happened when you were gone." Natsu cautiously looked over and saw Lucy's solemn face.

"I guess it's something that I shouldn't pry into. I won't. Don't worry." The female smiled reassuringly. "First of all, I would like to apologise for my behaviour earlier. You were right, my mind was clouded. I can't believe that I could've said such things. I'm so sorry." Lisanna bowed, her hair covering her face.

"U-u-u-uh… It's ok! Really, don't worry about it."

The white-haired female glanced at Lucy's arm and saw the scars which freaked her out.

"Um Lucy…? Where did you get those scars from?! Oh my God! You poor thing!" In a blink of an eye, she was by the blonde's side.

"Well… there was a fire. This place had to be rebuilt. It was… intense." Lucy vaguely explained.

"You can say that again!" Chuckled Natsu.

"Thank god you guys weren't badly injured. You do have a nice battle scar though, Lucy."

"Natsu too." The blonde pointed to his leg in which Natsu lifted up his pants.

"Oh my… that **looks** intense. At least you guys made it out alive." Lisanna sighed in relief.

Then, like a lightbulb had gone off inside Lucy's head, she began jumping up and down. "We have to have a welcome back party for you!"

"Eh? Me? No… I'm only going to be here for a bit. And I really don't want to be a hassle."

Pouting, the blonde puffed out her cheeks and turned to look at Natsu for help.

In response, he lazily shrugged as he made his way down the stairs.

"Natsu! Natsu!" Lucy called out to him several more times but he made no effort to respond. "Argh! You meanie!"

"Don't worry about it Lucy. I've got to drive back home anyways. I should probably get going." Lisanna turned around and made her way down the steps, jumping over the last 3.

Lucy quickly followed suit as she rushed to see Lisanna out the door.

"Wait!" The blonde lunged at the door and stopped the female from leaving. Lisanna looked at her in alarm.

"Y-y-y-yes…?"

Lucy stood up straight and regained her composure. "I wanted to apologise for Natsu. He's just being a jerk right now."

"Don't worry about it. I totally understand why. Just do me a favour and please make sure you always stay close to Natsu."

As quick as she could, Lisanna swung open the door and ran out, leaving Lucy with wide eyes. Quietly, the blonde closed the door and then trudged into the kitchen where Natsu was eating spicy chicken.

"Natsu…" Lucy sighed as she slumped into a chair.

"What's the matter Luce?"

"Why are you so cold to Lisanna?"

Natsu chocked on his food and started coughing hysterically. "W-w-w-what…?"

"You heard me. Why?"

"You know why."

"But that was so long ago! Can't you move on?!"

"But what your father did was a long time ago. You haven't moved on either."

The profanities that Lucy had planned couldn't leave her mouth. Everything got stuck and she ended up letting out a gasp.

"I-I-I'm sorry Lucy. I didn't mean to say that. It's just-"

"No. It's ok. I was being heartless and blunt. People have their ways of dealing with things."

"But, we made a deal to not fight our battles alone. And since we're also a couple now, I guess we're never going to be alone."

"I think I'm going to get a cavity at how sweet that was. Natsu…?"

"Y-y-y-yeah?" A blush spread across his cheeks as a thought popped into his head.

"I think I'm going to tell Haruto." Lucy released out a sigh, her shoulders falling.

A small smile spread across the male's lips as he suddenly wrapped his arms around her body, feeling her tense a little.

"I think it's about time." Stepping back to look at Lucy in the eyes, Natsu continued. "He already wants you as his mother anyway."

"H-h-h-he does?" Relief washed over her as tears sprung into her eyes.

"He thought that we were getting married and that you were going to be my wife." Natsu chuckled as he saw the blonde blush and fidget around.

"We are **not** married!" Huffed Lucy as she crossed her arns around her chest firmly.

"Yet." Once more, that smirk of his made Lucy melt.

 _In a way… I'm kind of glad that all of this happened. Even if everything I went through was torturous, if none of that happened, I wouldn't have ended up here._

All of sudden, like always, Lucy burst into tears. Natsu, of course, freaked out and flailed his arms about, not knowing what to do. Running out of the house, Lucy burst through the front door and sprinted out into the middle of the street, the male hot on her heels. As tears streamed down her cheeks and onto her attire, the blonde looked up at the night sky and stared at the stars. Feeling snot beginning to run out of her nose, Lucy used the back of her hand to wipe as much of it away but Natsu suddenly appeared in front of her.

"That's a little gross, don't you think?" He chuckled.

Lucy smiled bitterly as the tears continued to fall. Everything was just crashing down on her at once, memories of her sweet mother and the cruel times of her father. It was traumatic to say the least.

Natsu ruffled her hair softly and passed her a handful of tissues. Lucy gratefully took and made a great effort to wipe her tears but to no avail.

"N-N-Natsu…" Lucy let out through hiccups.

"Whaddya need Luce?"

"Why… why do the tears keep falling…? Why don't they stop? I can't stop them!" Feeling her knees buckle, Lucy collapsed onto Natsu and she began to sob into his shoulder.

"Luce… We go together or we don't go down at all. I promised I'd protect you. At the moment, I'm not doing a very good job at it."

"It's not your fault… I'm the one that's crying… Why am I so weak?" Lucy gripped onto his shirt as if she was hanging off of a bridge, about to fall.

"You're not weak. If there's one thing that I've learnt ever since we've met, is that you're the strongest person I know. You've been through so much but you're still here, fighting."

The blonde shook her head, her shoulders still shaking violently. "What do I do Natsu?! What do I do? I don't know what to do…" She balled her hands into a fist and hit his chest. With each blow, it got weaker and weaker until all that was left was her sobbing.

"A wise woman once said: Most of the time, you don't get to know what you're missing or even that you're missing anything, that's not your role. So if your role here is not to understand, then what is it?" Natsu smiled softly as Lucy looked at him with wide eyes, her sobbing stopping for a few seconds. Then, everything exploded like a bomb.

"I get it! I get it… My role is to accept… I just have to accept…" The blonde looked up at the sky once more, the stars twinkling brightly. "Do you hear that Mama?! I UNDERSTAND! I… MY ROLE IS TO ACCEPT!" Her voice echoed into the night and Natsu stared at her, his mouth open.

Suddenly, houses in the street began to turn their lights on and a few swear words were heard. Natsu quickly ducked back down and carried Lucy before sprinting back into his humble abode.

And, even after all that, Lucy was still crying but all that sobbing wasn't for nothing. She finally understood that the best thing to do is to accept, and move on.

* * *

 **Hope you guys enjoyed! The very last chapter is coming soon! Thank you for reading!**


	26. Chapter 26 - Finale

**Last chapter guys! This is actually kinda depressing in a way... Bitter sweet? Yea. I've had quite a run with this story and it seems that this fanfic has been quite a catch with a total of _ reads! I can't even show my appreciation in words because there are no words to describe how happy I've been throughout the updating of this story. It's been a great time and thank you so much for reading. So, without further ado, I would like to thank people for reviewing, following and/or favouriting this story. I really appreciate any reads! So thank you all! Every single one of you, even if you arent active or don't use an account (a guest). So, I was going to do a shout out to all the people that favourited or reviewed or followed this story, but I decided against it. It would be a bit excessive so instead, I'm going to answer some of you guys' reviews! I know I don't answer them frequently, but it's not because I don't like you guys but instead I'm just really busy. So for the last chapter, I wanted to make it up to you guys by responding to some of them! Sorry if I miss you out!**

 **The Age of Awesomeness: Hey dude. Thank you so much for commenting on most, if not all, of the chapters I have posted. It honestly makes my day and your comments make me crack up in the middle of class and school. You are truly an awesome and I bet we would be awesome friends if we knew each other in person. Thank you for making me smile!**

 **Dragondancer81: Hi! Just like The Age of Awesomeness, I usually always see your username when I come home from school. You usually comment on everything, so thank you!**

 **artisofthemind: Yes... Natsu is stupid... who knows why Lucy fell in love with him**

 **SunflowerChrysalis: Thank you for liking this story! Yea... I know it's a little bit over the top with the dramatic-ness but oh well! I love drama in my stories but I somehow hate it in real life... And sorry for the amount of cliffhangers I always do! I just love seeing people's reactions, no matter how sadistic that sounds... But thank you for liking this story!**

 **Crystal-breezy: YES! YES THAT WAS A REFERENCE TO ON MY OWN! OH MY GOD I'M SO HAPPY! This review literally made my week. I saw it and bragged to my siblings that someone finally new that song! You are awesome my friend!**

 **Well, I guess that's all I have time for. I know that's not very many but I can't exactly answer to everybody, sorry... But I would just like to thank everyone again, for liking this story! I know it's very dramatic, I know I made people laugh and cry and get frustrated at me and I know the cliffhangers are always lurking around the corner but thank you for sticking by this story. It's been an awesome run, so thank you for being apart of it!**

 **So this chapter is kinda a chill and uneventful chapter compared to most of the other dramatic ones. This one is more fluff and cute (I believe). Hope you like it anyways! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer - For the last time in this story, I obviously do not own Fairy Tail, however, this story is completely mine!**

* * *

Lucy rubbed her eyes groggily as she rolled over. Her body hurt and she had a terrible headache. The blonde rolled and rolled until she fell off the bed with a thud.

"LUCE?! ARE YOU AWAKE?!" Natsu called from downstairs.

Lucy let out a small groan as she crawled over to the window and shut the curtains.

"I'M COMING UP OK?!"

Once more, she let out a groan followed by yawn. Finally, she fully opened her eyes and looked down at her hands.

 _At least I'm not blind… but why is everything so blurry? Ugh…_

Natsu burst through the entrance and flinched as he heard a scream from behind the door.

"Na-"

Gingerly, the male peered around the door and saw his girlfriend sprawled on the floor, a comically large, red, throbbing bulge was on the back of her head.

"Heh… Sorry Luce." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Can… I… Just… Sleep…" Pouting and slightly sobbing, Lucy crawled back into bed and snuggled between the sheets in a fetus position.

Shrugging it off, Natsu decided to snuggle with her but long story short, that didn't happen.

One thing led to another and Natsu was soon on the ground in pain screaming, "MY FAMILY JEWELS!"

Lucy laughed hysterically as she rolled around in the bed, gripping her stomach in pain.

"I specifically remember you saying to Gray 'I have balls of steel!'" Lucy laughed even harder at the memory.

"Hmph. If that's how you want to play it, then fine! No breakfast for you!" The male walked out of the room in a sassy fashion. "Haruto! Get up! Lucy is going to set a record of the longest time that she hasn't eaten!"

Hearing the blonde stomp out of the room and to the top of the stairs made Natsu scurry away to the protection of the kitchen.

* * *

"Haruto! Haruto!" Lucy called from the bottom of the stair case.

"Yeah?" A soft voice responded.

"Come down here please!"

As the blonde waited, she tapped her foot on the ground, her fingers tapping a different rhythm. A loud thump was heard and then a small whimper.

"Uh… Haruto? Are you ok?" Lucy had already begun walking up the stairs.

"Yeah!"

Making it to the top of the stairs, the female opened his door and saw Haruto sprawled on the floor.

"What happened to you…?" Lucy shook her head as she helped him up from the ground.

"U-u-uh… nothing!" His blue eyes darted to his left and then quickly back at the lady in front of him.

"Oh? What's in your cupboard then?" The blonde stood up and walked over to the wooden doors, touching the door knob slightly before pulling on it.

"Don't!" But he was too late to stop what was to come.

As soon as Lucy pulled on the door, out fell Wendy, Romeo and a small toddler. The blonde shot a questioning look at Haruto before helping them up.

"What are you two doing here? And who is this little one?" Lucy ruffled the little boy's head.

"Sorry Lucy-nee! We just wanted to come over and let Haruto meet our new friend!" Wendy bowed several times, nearly giving herself a headache.

"U-u-u-uh! No need to apologise Wendy! It's ok, really! Just next time, tell me, ok?" Lucy tilted her head to the side and smiled sincerely.

The blue-haired female nodded her head and grinned back in appreciation.

"So what do you need Auntie?" Haruto asked as he leaned against his bed.

"Well… I wanted to take you out today."

"With Dad?"

"No, just us. If that's ok with you!" Lucy tried to calm down her heart rate and breathing.

"Of course it is. Where are we going? And when?" Haruto had already started walking out of the room, his best friends right behind.

"U-uh… whenever you're ready! Just call for me when you're ok to leave, I'll just be down with your father." Before the boy could protest, Lucy ran down the stairs, jumping down after the 10th and then sprinted to the kitchen, skidding slightly.

"Why are you so giddy?" Natsu asked through a full mouth of food.

"Well! After about 15 years I'm finally going to tell Haruto everything! It's about time he knows and I'm so happy that he's become such a handsome, smart, good little boy…" Tears filled the blonde's eyes as she smiled.

"C'mon Luce! You know that that kid was gonna turn out great! I mean, come on! He **was** raised by me after all!" The pink-haired male chuckled cheekily.

"Well! Well!"

"Well what? Huh?" Quickly putting his food back onto the bench, Natsu lunged forward and ruffled her hair.

"Oi! Natsu!" Whilst Lucy was fixing up the tufts that were sticking out, Natsu made a run for it. "Come back here you pussy!"

* * *

"So…" Haruto slurred his words as he swung his legs while sitting on a chair.

"Haruto… Uh… How was your day?" Lucy asked, trying to make sure it didn't get awkward.

"It was fun. Thanks for taking me out. The stress of high school was getting to me but this helped heaps."

"High school huh…? You sure have grown up fast…" The blonde looked at her son as she flew off in a daze.

"Lucy? Lucy!" Haruto shook her as Lucy snapped out of it, nearly falling out of her chair.

"Sorry! Sorry…" She sighed.

"Do you want to go for a walk? You seem like you have a lot on your mind."

"Yeah… that sounds like a great idea."

* * *

"- and then! Guess what happened?" Haruto's face beamed as he turned to look at Lucy.

"I don't know. Why don't you just go ahead and tell me." The female smiled as the teen jumped around.

"He farted in the middle of the exam! Everyone laughed and we all ended up getting detention because the teacher thought we were cheating… so we have to do the test again on Monday." As he finished the story, Haruto began walking backwards.

"Be careful Haruto… Don't fall into the canal, I won't jump in to save you if you do." Lucy cheekily giggled as she continued walking. Not hearing any footsteps follow her, the blonde turned around. "Haruto?"

The teen was standing on the edge of the walkway as he looked down into the surprisingly clean, blue water. Dropping his jacket down onto the ground, he rubbed his arms gingerly.

"What **if** I jumped in? That would be pretty brave, don't you think?"

"U-u-u-uh… Haruto? What are saying? Don't you dare jump."

"But what if I did? It would be like the Courage Bridge in the anime Shigatsu Wa Kimi No Uso… Wouldn't it? We watched it together, remember?" Haruto turned to look at Lucy who was just speechless.

 _What has gotten into Haruto? What is he thinking?!_

"H-H-Haruto… now, now." Lucy stepped towards the blonde teen as he inched closer to the edge. "What would your father say about this?"

"Dad would probably laugh if you think about it." Haruto chuckled at the thought.

Lucy took deep breaths in before she slowly put one foot in front of the other. "That's true, but you're going to get sick if you jump into the water. We still have to walk home remember?"

"I guess you're going to have to call Dad!" As his sentence finished, Haruto jumped off, screaming on his way down.

"HARUTO!" Lucy reached out to try to catch him but failed and instead, her foot slipped and then she too fell into the canal.

After a large splash, Lucy emerged to the surface spluttering both water and profanities. Haruto answered her with laughs.

"Look at this mess! I just bought these boots the other day too…" The blonde sobbed.

"Well I bought these vans last week but c'mon Auntie! Loosen up!" Haruto slapped his hand onto the water which splashed up, annoying Lucy.

"HEY! That was a big mistake Mr!" After that remark, the blonde bounded and tackled the boy, submerging them both completely under.

As they arose from the water laughing, Lucy suddenly stopped and smiled at Haruto.

"What? Don't look at me like that… it's creepy." He chuckled.

"Haruto…" Lucy rested her hand on his shoulder as she looked at him. "You've grown so much…"

"Uh… Lucy? Are you feeling ok? Oh no! Are you getting sick?! Dad will kill me if you are! I have to get you out of here!"

Before Lucy could protest, Haruto dragged her out of the water and sat her on the ledge of the pathway. As Haruto heaved himself onto the concrete, the blonde took a deep breath in.

"Haruto! Listen to me!" Lucy exclaimed louder than she should have, making him flinch.

"Y-y-yes…?"

"I have no idea how to say this but…" The female began hyperventilating as her anxiety rose up.

"Lu-"

"No! No… Just… Just give me a second…" The blonde closed her eyes continuing. "I'm… I'm your mother…" When Lucy didn't hear a reaction, she cautiously opened her eyes to see her son smiling as he watched the sunset. "H-H-Haruto…?"

"I… I know."

"How? How did you know? When did you find out?"

"Well… do you remember when I was younger, I almost got hit by a car when I was trying to get my handball from the road?" The teen turned to look at her.

"Yeah… and a lady carried you to safety and scolded you…"

"That lady told me that you were my mother. She said that when the time is right, you would tell me and that you loved me too much to let me in on the truth."

"Do you know who she is? Did she tell you her name? Anything?"

"She said that she was **your** mother."

Like a knife had stabbed her chest, Lucy placed her hand over the area and gripped onto her shirt, finding it hard to breathe.

"My… my Mama told you…? She was watching over you through everything…?" Tears streamed down her face as the sky went dark.

"Obaasan told me to keep quiet until you were ready. I'm sorry you had to go through all that, Mama… she said you were still going through too much trauma so I had to wait."

"You… you called me Mama…" Lucy's shoulders shook violently as the tears continued to fall.

"I know you had your reasons for not staying with me, and not raising me… and I'm not angry."

"LUCY! HARUTO! LUSHYYYYYYYYYYY!" A loud, obnoxious voice echoed through the streets.

The blonde wiped her tears from her eyes and cheeks before she stood up, shivering from her wet clothes and the night breeze.

"Lucy?! Lucy!" Natsu came running towards them and engulfed both in a warm hug. "Where have you idiots been?!"

Lucy laughed as she wiped the rest of her tears with the back of her hand.

"Why are you crying? Haruto! I swear to God if you were the one that made her cry, I'll chop your bal-"

"Natsu! Natsu… It's ok. I told Haruto the truth and it turns out, he already knew."

"Wait… hold up! Say it slower this time, I didn't get it."

The two blondes deadpanned as Natsu shrugged, wrapping his arms around Lucy's waist. The female held her son's hands in hers and smiled sweetly.

"Oh! One more thing. Obaasan told me that she said something to you when you were little. She said that you would tell me too." Haruto tilted his head a little in question.

"I love you…?"

"No, no… Obaasan said you'd say 'I love you' to Dad. Something else."

Natsu blushed as he shuffled around, readjusting his hands around her waist slightly in embarrassment.

"Oh… Haruto, remember that I would never abandon you without a good reason, do you understand?"

"I know."

"And remember, there's nothing fortunate about having your fate decided for you. You have to grab your own happiness." Lucy smiled as she placed a strand of hair behind her ear.

 _Meeting you was fate,_

 _Becoming your friend was a choice,_

 _But falling in love with you, I had no control over…_

* * *

 **That end bit, if you guys remember, is very similar to the very first bit of the whole story! I wanted to tie the story up with a big bow as the start and finish were practically the same with Lucy saying to her child what her mother said to her!**

 **So now that this is finished, I'm glad that you all liked this story and to be honest, it's kind of sad to see it end. I really enjoyed reading all of your reviews and seeing a new notification when I get another person to enjoy this story. Thank you all for being on this ride with me. A new story should come out soon (by soon I mean around 3-6 months... heh) as I am working on 3 new stories! I want to perfect them so they wont be out any time soon. Anyways, please stay tuned and thank you for reading!**

 **Timothynvb... OUT! Enjoy!**


End file.
